Perseus Son of Vesta: Scorched Earth
by SDMS135
Summary: Luke's attack on New Rome caught the Romans completely off guard, they are utterly unprepared for Gaea's imminent invasion. Percy sets off for Alaska, but he is walking straight into Gaea's trap, while Jason is led on a wild chase across North America in search for Juno. Percy's past is catching up to him a lot sooner than he'd preferred. Sequel to Son of Vesta: Reborn From Ashes.
1. Prologue: Aftermath

Prologue: Aftermath

* * *

Story summary:

Luke's attack on New Rome caught the Romans completely off guard, the Legion suffered greatly and is in no way ready for Gaea's imminent invasion. Percy, Zoë, and Hazel set for Alaska to free Thanatos, but he has no idea Gaea prepared a _surprise_ for him and he is walking right into it. Meanwhile, Jason, Piper, and Leo are led on a wild chase across the continent of North America in a desperate bid to find Juno. Percy's dark past is catching up to him a lot sooner than he'd preferred, the Greeks have allied with Gaea and sooner or later, he'll have to face the people who betrayed him on battleground. The friendship between Percy and Zoë is blossoming into something more but with Percy on top of Gaea's hit list, and Zoë returning from the land of dead, a romance is hardly what they have attention to focus on. Sequel to Son of Vesta: Reborn From Ashes. Pairing is Percy x Zoë, Frank x Hazel, Leo x Calypso, Jason's pairing won't be revealed for now due to potential spoilers.

* * *

 **June 17th 2011 - 7 day before the Feast of Fortuna, 1400 hrs, The Bridge, Princess Andromeda II - San Francisco, United States - Luke Castellan**

"So," An ancient, sleepy voice echoed in the bridge. The room was clear, minus one man, who kneeled on the floor, his body shaking slightly. His mistress was not on board his warship, but her presence was unmistakable, given the dark Primordial aura that had filled the confined space. He had long dirty blonde hair, his face was blank of expression, but his blue eyes gave away just the slightest hint of fear. The long scar running across the length of his left cheek that made him somewhat intimidating in combat did not make him anymore formidable this time. "You have failed me."

He did not dare to speak.

"Look at me, Luke Castellan," the voice, if possible, became even colder as dread crept its way into the young immortal's heart. Luke raised his head, doing his best to cover his horror at the source of Gaea's voice, "You were quite the lost cause when I found you. Defeated by mere demigods, you failed your time as one of the Gods' spawns, you were even more pathetic serving my imbecile for a son Kronos. They cast you into the bottom of the pit from the glories of their thrones, leaving you to rot. You spoke bitterly of a great injustice done to you. I rescued you that day, I gave you a new sense of purpose. Power, respect, wealth, everything you have asked for, Luke Castellan. I bestowed on you the great gift of immortality, I entrusted my most elite legion of demigods under your command, I honored you with the rank of general, I even brought you your bitch girlfriend because you desired her, how did you repay me Castellan?"

"I…" Luke started, his voice not wavering despite the wild emotions threatening to overwhelm him, "My lady, please allow me to explain. I was greatly honored when you entrusted me with the task of bringing you Jackson and the huntress, and I only ever bore the best of your interest in mind. Every action I have taken has been hoping to achieve this. The Romans were unprepared, their defenses were chaotic and the quests had their minds preoccupied. It was a golden opportunity to stage an attack on the city, and most likely, capture the pair during the chaos of battle."

"Those are, but your speculations," Gaea said harshly, there was a dangerous edge in her voice that Luke only knew too well, "You were reckless and foolish enough to launch an attack on New Rome on your own. Now the Romans are warned, and they have a week to prepare to defend their city until my armies are in position to attack. Moreover, you have cost me a battalion of soldiers who should be tearing the pathetic Roman legion apart on the Feast of Fortuna instead of being wasted meaninglessly, on a pursue of your own ambitions, am I correct? But none of that matters, I don't care if the Romans are preparing for war earlier than I have planned, or fifty demigods are dead. While Jackson and Nightshade were lured on your ship, you could have taken them directly to me, but instead, you wasted your opportunity on your childish chitchats, and led them to get away! Your arrogance has cost me heavily, and for that, you _will_ be punished."

Luke opened his mouth to defend himself, but he found himself unable to. He choked a cry as his body was lifted mid-air, his limbs bound by an invisible spell. He struggled against the Primordial power, his body twitching violently as Luke tried to break free with all his might, but no avail. Gaea led out an amused laugh as tearing pain struck. Luke screamed.

"I rescued your cursed soul from the abyss, I re-built your form, I gave you your second life on Earth, I granted you immortality, and I can take them away just as easily." Gaea sneered, her voice icy-cold, "You will do well to remember that."

Luke was released in a thud, his body falling onto the floor painfully, but frankly he couldn't care. He was simply glad it was over, being tortured by a sadistic, insane, powerful Primordial deity was just as unappealing as it sounded.

"Do not fail me again, Luke Castellan. If you do, I will not show such leniency."

Luke could only manage a nod.

* * *

 **June 17th 2011 - 7 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1200 hrs, Hill Across Camp Jupiter - San Francisco, United States - Percy Jackson**

Percy took off running, with Zoë by his side and Hazel on their heels closely, away from the aftermath of the bloody battle in New Rome. Luke had taken them by surprise, despite how much Percy had been pushing the Senate to gear New Rome towards war mode, and how much defense infrastructure that have been installed in Camp Jupiter, almost driving the city into an economic recession.

The ship was impressive, invisible cloaking, energy barriers, and some serious fire power. As for attacking from within the city's borders where no weapon is permitted and when families were out for lunch, it was brilliant, despite how much of a low blow it had been.

Percy mentally shoved those thoughts aside. He will have more than enough time to worry about his old enemy joining forces with his new enemy. Right now, he needed to focus on the freeing Thanatos, for all he knew it was the only way to save New Rome.

"I hope walking all the way to Alaska isn't your master plan," Hazel said, panting as she caught up with the dual, "Because if that's the case then I think I'll resign."

"I thought service in the legion is mandatory?" Percy blinked at her in confusion.

Next to him, Zoë rolled her eyes, "You get her point." She said.

"Of course not." Percy gave his typical troublemaker grin, and Hazel shuddered.

"I'm starting to think that I'd prefer walking after all."

"Been there done that," Zoë shot her a sympathetic look, her mind wandering back to their quest to rescue Artemis as she addressed Percy dryly, "and I have to say I'm with Hazel on this one, your ability to come up with the most terrible plans always amaze me."

"Oh sure," Percy retorted sarcastically, "My terrible plans saved Olympus, must be because I'm awesome."

Zoë had to refrain herself from rolling her eyes, "Not that A-word," She growled loudly, "Just don't tell me we are riding those dam pegasi of yours again."

"Oh trust me," Percy grinned, "I've got something better than that."

Percy closed his eyes in concentration, willing his mind beyond the barrier of his body. Words formed inside his brain as they echoed silently into distance. _Come to me._

Moments later, a loud roar came. Ground shook from the divine force as waves of raw power crashed into the demigods. Percy and Zoë held their ground firmly, but Hazel was not so lucky as she was caught completely off guard.

She staggered forward, being thrown off her balance, but quickly regained her footing as Zoë extended a hand, catching her arm just in time. Hazel muttered her thanks just as a massive shadow descended from above. It roared, orange flames erupted from its mouth, consuming everything in its pass, scorching the ground brown.

Zoë looked slightly surprised, and maybe a bit impressed as well while Hazel looked shaken, her face had visibly paled. Percy only grinned and stepped forward calmly. He extended an arm while the dragon declined its head, giving it a friendly pat.

"Zoë Nightshade, Hazel Levesque," Percy smiled friendly at them, "Meet Peleus."

Zoë took a small step at the dragon calmly, and bowed slightly, her eyes never leaving the burning yellow orbs. Hazel sucked in a breath, her eyes darting between Peleus and Zoë, wondering whether she should bolt or just pass out on the spot, though she was close to either.

After what felt like a century, but, in fact, was only a few seconds, Peleus declined its head and returned the bow at Zoë, letting loose a soft groan.

Percy grinned at her, "Well, come on," the son of Vesta said, taking Zoë's hand and pulling her forward, guiding her towards Peleus.

"W-What?" Zoë stuttered in surprise, losing her signature cool for a moment at Percy's touch. She had a funny feeling at her stomach that she couldn't quite name, though she was positive that her cheek had turned pink and she was probably blushing. Thank Artemis Percy was looking at the dragon, maybe Hazel was watching… Guess she'll just have to either bribe or threaten her into silence. Zoë was very confident of her ability when it came to that department, had plenty of experience with boys over two millennium…

Zoë looked at Peleus with uncertainty, before gazing back at Percy, who'd only smiled at her encouragingly.

"Go on then," He said, and she patted the dragon's head experimentally. Peleus led out a small yelp and rubbed its head against her palm gently.

"He likes you." Percy grinned, and Zoë found herself wanting to grin at him back.

Shrugging it off, Zoë simply muttered, "I doubt it." It annoyed her slightly that his grin seemed only to grow even further.

"He's your pet dragon?" Hazel asked. Until then, Zoë had completely forgotten the existence of the daughter of Pluto. She cursed herself inwardly for getting carried away.

Peleus roared loudly as if in protest, Percy had to step in and comfort the upset creature while shooting a warning look at Hazel, "Peleus is no pet," He said, "He is a creature of freedom and wisdom and an old friend of mine."

Hazel nodded, apparently feeling reassured by Percy's words. She approached the dragon and muttered a few words to it. Peleus seemed relaxed and allowed Hazel to touch it as well. The daughter of Pluto laughed lightly as the dragon licked her palm affectionately.

Zoë was amazed by how Hazel was natural with animals, especially magical ones. The ex-huntress herself had rarely found herself in the company of those except for the pack of wolves with the hunt. She saw Percy leaning in and whispering something into Hazel's ear, who then grinned at him and swung herself onto the back of Peleus.

Percy hopped up behind her and waved at Zoë.

 _Riding a dragon across North America? Dam, way to avoid attracting unwanted attention._

* * *

 **June 17th 2011 - 7 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1200 hrs, New Rome - San Francisco, United States - Jason Grace**

Jason glanced down at himself, an Imperial Gold chest plate was thrown onto him loosely, his trustworthy Imperial Gold _Gladius_ , _Ivlivs,_ already fully transformed into its blade form, was held in his right hand. He looked as a slender feminine figure approached him hurriedly. Jason could make out a backpack being swung onto her shoulder without much caution, a gleaming bronze dagger strapped onto her right thigh, Celestial Bronze, she had called the metal, which had become her signature weapon.

She hadn't bothered to put on any battle armor whatsoever like he managed in a hurry, they were separated since the café, their favorite place for lunch. Glass shattered as shells rained down the city, panicked crowds screamed and soon flooded the city, while demigods made a wild dash to the armory for their weapons and armors, since Terminus was a huge fan of the rule _No weapon in the city_ even when they were literally at war.

The few legionaries on guard then rushed at the Pomerian line, struggling to cross into the city where dozens of troops dropped from the ship as the machine of war opened fire at everything within its range. Unfortunately, they were being shoved back by panicked crowds.

Chaos erupted.

Some citizens had enough sense to let the legionaries through, they quickly took the fight on enemy demigods, but they were overrun. It was a slaughter, archers set up perimeter around the Pomerian line and led loose rains of arrows, but they hardly did any good. Terminus was being his usual insufferable self until Jason had finally lost it and blasted the statue to bits with an angry bolt of lightning. Perhaps he ought to apologize the next time he sees him…

Jason was lucky enough to find a light chest plate and quickly strapped it onto himself, though Piper was separated from him when chaos broke out. The fight was going very ugly for the Romans until reinforcement arrived and poured into battlefield, the streets were finally cleared of fleeing crowds for heavy artillery fire to claim their vengeance.

The battle was won but at a great cost. More than 50 people were killed during the attack, active legionnaire and civilian vice, twice as much landed in the infirmary. The second cohort, which was first on scene was almost wiped out, Jason was among few other demigods who survived the fighting.

Jason swore Terra would pay.

He saw Reyna sprinting at him, in her full battle armor, which wasn't a surprise since he could count the times he saw her in anything _other_ than that. He led out a breath in relief at the sight of her best friend, her chest plate was shattered, and her purple Camp Jupiter T-shirt was covered in blood, both her own and enemy demigods'. She was not unscratched, far from it judging from the cuts on her body, having cut down her fair share of demigods, but she was alive, and it was more than often a luxury for demigods like themselves.

He pulled her into a quick hug.

"Gather your crew," Said the daughter of Bellona urgently, her voice firm, "Percy has already left. Pack your things and leave for your quest as quickly as possible, we don't have time to waste. Juno needs to be released, then rush back here, Terra's attack is imminent."

Jason nodded grimly, knowing full well Reyna was right, "Take care of things here, Terra was merely testing our defense, and we nearly collapsed. When she does strike, we will need to be ready."

"I will start evacuation immediately," Reyna replied with determination in her tone, the daughter of Bellona's usual hard mask slipping back on, her eyes gleaming coldly, "The legion _will_ be ready, we will hold the camp until you get back or die trying."

Jason regarded her sorrowfully, life was cruel, reality was harsh, they were all forced to face dangers no one at their age should, but they didn't have a choice. And that's what Jason admired Reyna about, it wasn't just her beauty or skills, rather, it was her heart, compassionate, determined, dutiful and strong, a true Roman.

Reyna's eyes softened for the briefest moment, then she leaned in and did one thing he never expected her to do.

On June 17th 2011, Jason Grace received his first kiss.

Then she was gone.

The last thing Jason remembered, as he set for his quest, was the sadness and guilt in Reyna's eyes.

* * *

 **June 17th 2011 - 7 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1200 hrs, New Rome - San Francisco, United States - Piper McLean**

Piper looked at Jason carefully as she approached, Leo tailing behind her closely. He seemed to be lost in thoughts, something she 'd rarely seen him do ever since they met.

Jason did have his moments, though he always appeared carefree and confident, a trait she found both adoring and irritating. It was conflicted, she knew, because that's exactly how she felt. Jason Grace made her feel conflicted.

As a daughter of Venus, she never had any worries in the department of beauty, her gift made sure of it. Sometimes she thought it was a curse until she arrive at Camp Jupiter. It was the best thing ever happened to her. She made real friends there, who were never jealous of her looks, or her natural attraction that ensured she'd never have shortage of pursuers.

Leo Valdez, the wicked Latin boy who always made her laugh, and Jason Grace, who made her smile. She could be herself, instead of what people expected her to be, just Piper McLean, the girl who was not perfect.

Piper shoved these thoughts aside. She was Piper McLean, the proud senior centurion of First Cohort, and she worked her butt off to earn that position, and even more importantly, people's respect, and she wasn't about to lose it. Her undying love for Jason Grace was the least of her worries, it was the last thing either of them needed right now, with the threat of Terra looming over New Rome.

She did hear distinctively about a bet going on…

And funny names along the lines of Jayna and Jasper…

It was probably Dakota…

Yeah, when was the last time that kid was sober…

Maybe never…

Just wait till she gets his hands on him…

She was a lot more like her mother than she led on.

And she was also a lot less like her mother than Venus tended to believe.

Jason gave her and Leo a simple nod and took off without another word while Leo was grinning like a madman.

Terra had a warship, so did he, let _Argo II_ sail, the downfall of Terra, shall be the glory of her voyage.

Juno must be freed, Porphyrion must not rise, and New Rome must not fall.

Let the quest begin.

* * *

 _A dark figure spoke, its entire form was cover by the darkness of shadows, yet the immense power rolling off from him was not to be mistaken. His voice was taunting, accompanied by a sneer, his eyes were icy cold, and fixed on the scene in front of him. "Are you ready demigods? Mother Earth is rising, and she shall be more powerful than ever. The Olympians are weak, and they stand no chance against the might of the Giants. Your heroes are divided, your savior will fall, your cities will crumble, who will save you now?"_

 _Piper McLean stared at Katoptris in shock._

* * *

 **Hello again my dear readers! As most of you already figured out, this is a sequel to my story Perseus Son of Vesta: Reborn From Ashes. The prologue picks up where the last chapter left off and real actions start the next chapter. Not exactly sure how I want to swing this yet, but I'll figure it out in no time, and I promise only the best from me.**

 **See you next time and hopefully soon!**


	2. Chapter One: Playing Fire

Chapter One: Playing Fire

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 **June 18th 2011 - 6 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 0600 hrs, Deck, Argo II - California, United States - Jason Grace**

Jason stood on the deck of Argo II. It was an impressive design, Leo really was a lot more brilliant than people gave him credit for. It took months of hard work, hundreds of pairs of hands, more Imperial Gold he could count and so much Denarius that the senate never quitted whining about it.

Jason was definitely not going for a career in politics.

Jason looked beyond, from the altitude the ship was flying, there was nothing to view but a sea of clouds, stormy, grey clouds. They were heading straight into the heart of a storm. Neptune must be angry, Jason thought.

Jason's mind wondered back to Camp Jupiter, the only home he had ever known. Of course, it hadn't been the whole truth. Jason knew he'd grown up in a home, with his mother and sister. He could only vaguely remember them, their faces and voices long blurred from the distant, foggy memories.

Juno brought him to Lupa when he was two, it was the only thing he was told. Sometimes Jason would find himself thinking about them, but his mind would not linger, it was no use dwelling on the past, Romans aren't supposed to be sentimental like that.

He thought of Reyna, his oldest and closest friend. He trusted her more than anyone else in the world, and he would leave his back for her to watch without hesitation. His mind kept playing how she kissed him in slow motion, his thoughts lingered momentarily.

Reyna was the first true friend he'd ever had, and one of the most important people in his life, but did he like her in that way? Truth to be told, that notion never crossed his mind. But she'd stirred something inside him then, something he'd never felt before.

He felt a presence next to him, and Jason smiled, despite it was the moment he almost dreaded. She moved gracefully, her steps silent, but he knew her too well.

"Hello, Piper." Jason said.

"Wonderful morning, isn't it?" Piper didn't sound the slightest surprised, "Leo's still out, I'd say he designed the autopilot function so he could sleep in until noon."

Jason's reply was dry, "Told him he shouldn't have thrown that party for Argo II's voyage, the circumstances are less than ideal."

Piper didn't say a word, instead, she took his hand and squeezed it. Jason returned the pressure. It wasn't until a full minute had passed when Piper broke the comfortable silence.

"Where are we going?"

"We have to find Juno," Jason began, "and since we have no idea where she is, we need to find someone who does."

"And?" Piper raised an eyebrow.

"Since all the Olympians are out of action, thanks to this Greek-Roman split persona thing," Jason declared, "They won't be much help to us until we fulfill the Prophecy of Seven and supposedly unite Greece and Rome, at least according to Lady Minerva." He added the last part, the Son of Jupiter's tone was respectful enough at the name of his half-sister.

"Which means now we are off finding someone who _can_ guide us to Juno." Piper finished for him, drawing a small smile from the son of Jupiter.

"Before we left," Jason said distantly, his eyes had drifted afar from the Venus beauty in front of him to the horizon, "Percy told me to track down Lycaon's pack of lycanthropes. He said finding Lycaon would be our best chance."

"He didn't care to elaborate further?" Piper led out a huff of annoyance, "Because it sounds like another riddle of the Gods' to me."

"Lycaon probably knows something," Jason shrugged, "We know he is one of the most powerful monsters walking on Earth and he is in league with Terra. I wouldn't be surprised if he has information on where Juno is being held, probably even took part in her abduction."

"I doubt it," Piper frowned, her tone was doubtful. She ran a hand through her braided chocolate brown hair subconsciously. Morning breeze gently brushed her choppy hair, carrying a few loose, thin strands away and Piper's eyes flashed from blue to green, then back to her original brown, probably in annoyance. Unlike her half-siblings, Piper was distasteful to her own heritage. She has told Jason more than once that she could trade all her beauty and allure that came from Venus if it meant not being gaped at by boys with hunger, or glared at by girls with envy. She hated attention, and she was never as comfortable with it as Jason. Maybe that's why they'd grown so close rather quickly. Jason found himself staring, and he blushed, turning his gaze away quickly. He thanked Jupiter she did not catch him, otherwise it would be _embarrassing…_ and creepy. He would probably have thanked Jupiter a lot less had he noticed her cheeks turning pink.

"Lycaon might be powerful, but he is only a lycanthrope. A savage dark beast, Juno's Godly form could wipe out his entire pack in less than a second. Not to mention Terra would never be stupid enough to entrust such task with lycanthropes." Piper really was a lot more intelligent than people tended to believe, prejudice against children of Venus was common among the ranks of Camp Jupiter, Jason found it disgusting. "And Terra plans to revive Porphyrion…"

Piper's eyes widened in realization, as did Jason's, "A Giant must have snatched her! Pluto, we are sailing at two Gigantes!"

"Do you think I could resign Praetor?"

"I'm wondering the same thing…"

"Maybe this ship can take us to another planet…"

"…I certainly hope so…"

And now Jason's plans about an early morning of peace and quite is certainly ruined.

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 6 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 0800 hrs, Medford, Oregon, United States - Percy Jackson**

The first thing Percy did when he opened his eyes in the morning was to yawn. It was against the forces of natural to be up before one is naturally awake, but Percy was already used to it from the early rises in Camp Half-Blood, not to mention the barracks of Twelfth Legion.

off

He didn't mind the early mornings, it was peaceful, and it was all he ever wanted.

Peace.

Surprisingly it was too much to ask for. Being the son of Poseidon and the child of prophecy and everything, then the Savior of Olympus, until they kicked him out.

Percy gazed down for a moment, his pillow looked really inviting, and he almost decided to drop back down and go back to sleep, it surely was tempting enough, but there was no way he was going back to sleep after what he'd seen.

They needed to pay Portland a visit.

Percy changed into a set of new clothes, checked for his weapons and left his tent. The magical tent collapsed on itself upon the son of Vesta's departure and shrunk to the size of a coin, just enough for Percy to pick it up and place in his jeans pocket.

He found Hazel sitting in the middle of the campsite, with a few Starbucks paper bags lying next to her. She was biting a sandwich rather hungrily before spotting Percy, offering him a smile and a bag of breakfast, which he accepted gratefully. When Percy asked whether Hazel has seen Zoë, the daughter of Pluto shrugged and told him she probably wondered off somewhere in the woods. Percy opened the bag and found a paned egg, a small box of salad and a cup of hot chocolate, eyeing them with appreciation as he thanked Hazel again and hurried off in search of Zoë.

Percy eventually found the ex-huntress standing behind a tree with her back to him. Zoë's body tensed at the sound of his feet shuttering against the forest floor piled with green leaves. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" He said, Zoë's posture relaxed again.

She wore a bored expression, the tip of her fingers swirling around the hilt of her silver hunting knife, the body of the silver blade gleaming the reflection of the bright sunlight. Her eyes were distant, her gaze lingering at streams of light coming through the branches of trees, with a small glimpse of pale blue sky with no cloud at all.

She looked to be in a train of thoughts until Percy made his presence known anyway.

"Indeed it is," Zoë replied curtly.

"You look troubled," Percy observed, "Something on your mind?"

"It's just…" Zoë opened her mouth, only to shut it abruptly. The ex-huntress seemed to be debating with herself for a moment, before shaking her head, her tone was dismissive and distant when she spoke again, "Never mind."

"Where's the dragon?" Zoë asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Peleus?" Percy looked amused, "You didn't expect him to stay here all night with three humans in the middle of a forest, did you?"

"Well pardon me for not being of expertise on the matter," Zoë rolled her eyes, retorting sarcastically, "I did spend two thousand years hunting, not dragon keeping."

"I'm pretty sure Artemis would have allowed you to keep a pet dragon if you asked." Percy replied smoothly, somehow his expression had turned even more bemused. Zoë spent a second debating what she'd preferred to do with that troublemaker's smirk on his face, whether to punch it or _stun_ it.

"Would have preferred to hunt it instead." Zoë snorted.

"Somehow your answer doesn't surprise me the slightest," Percy said, "you, my dear, does have a tendency of violence."

"What did you just call me _dear?"_ Zoë's eyes narrowed, and the smirk vanished from Percy's face almost instantly at the tone of her voice. It amazed Zoë how quickly people tended to pale in her presence, _boys…_

"Jeez Zoë," Percy said, putting his hands up in surrender as he subconsciously took a step back from her, "I was only joking."

Zoë had this strange urge to smirk.

"You are lucky I like you, Perseus, now when are we leaving?" Zoë noticed Percy's expression turning serious, no, almost solemn. It was a strange sight on his face and Zoë began to grow worried.

"As soon as Peleus gets here," Percy said without a sign of humor, "We'd better get Hazel."

With that, Percy turned and left, leaving Zoë staring at him until she shook it off and jogged to join him.

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 6 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 0730 hrs, Deck, Argo II - California, United States - Leo Valdez**

Leo considered himself a lady's man, I mean, come on, who could resist an incredibly hot and even more so awesome Latino boy!

Unfortunately, it wasn't the case when it came to one of his closest friends Piper, and he was just about to relive why.

So when he heard a loud voice screaming his name, Leo knew he was screwed.

Leo bolted up from his bed before his knew what his doing, and dropped onto the ground of his room. He rubbed his eyes quickly before forcing them wide open, only to find Piper McLean glaring at him with so much intensity that he wished he could drop through a hole. Probably to his death, but Leo didn't care, Piper was a lot scarier than that.

"What's up Beauty Queen?" Leo said, secretly hoping he won't find his head missing from his neck within the next ten seconds.

"Get up Valdez," Piper glared, "and I told you to not call me that name."

Leo, feeling extra brave or extra stupid, chose to grin at her.

Piper sighed, throwing a hand up in exasperation, "Whatever Leo, Supreme Commander of Argo II or… whatever, just be on the bridge in 15 minutes, we need you."

Leo sighed in relief, before glancing at the clock on his bedside, and gasped, "It's only seven thirty! What could you possibly want from me at this ungodly hour!"

"We wake up earlier than this in the Legion, Leo," Piper rolled her eyes at her friend "and how does saving the world from an evil Primordial Goddess sound?"

For a moment, Leo was too stunned to come up with his usual smartass retort. Piper looked satisfied before excusing herself from his room.

Leo wondered what was up with Piper.

 _Must be time of the month,_ Leo decided, and got up to dress, positively proud of himself.

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 6 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 0900 hrs, Senate, New Rome, Camp Jupiter - California, United States - Reyna Ramírez-Arellano**

Reyna looked at the house of senate assembling before her with discrete distaste from her podium up high. The senate was all bureaucratic, incredibly annoying to a fierce warrior like Reyna, but she understood the need of its existence. New Rome was built to be the Republic of Rome, not the Empire of Rome.

Being a Praetor automatically granted Reyna a seat on the senate, alongside her senior Centurions in the Legion. However, Reyna wouldn't feel the slightest bit of guilt saying the senators were a bunch of pricks minus a few, Octavian wasn't a lone case, too many Romans have been corrupt by money or power, the usual case.

The senate session took place nine in the morning, which was still too late for Reyna's liking. Three good hours in the day were already wasted, let alone the prolonged debates. She hoped the junior Centurions who were put in charge of the Legion's training and patrolling were holding the fort alright on their own.

Reyna began addressing the senate as soon as the house had settled down, and not a second later, "Thank you, for meeting in such short notice," _as if,_ "Since we are very much short on time, I will go straight to the point. We need more funding for the preparations for Terra's impending invasion-"

"This is outrageous!" A senator rose and interrupted her loudly, "New Rome was one of the wealthiest cities in the magical world, and now we are in _debt._ All your claims about an impending invasion are based on the words of a _boy,_ they are speculations!"

"That's enough!" Gwen snapped, glaring daggers at the fuming senator, but the daughter of Ceres was ignored altogether.

"Our economy is deteriorating, we have almost empties our vaults _pumping Denarii_ into the Legion, this needs to stop! Praetor Reyna is leading Rome down a path away from greatness!"

At this point Frank had lost it and rose, swinging and jumping over three rolls of seats until he landed in front of the senator. Then, he punched him in the face.

Reyna thought it was awesome.

Chaos erupted quickly as angry senators rose to their feet, followed by equally angry Centurions, defending their comrades. Dakota, who was filling Percy's seat as Junior Centurion of Fifth Cohort for the reminder of the quest, threw a punch before the dozen legionaries from First Cohort standing guard inside the Senate attempted to pull the angry senators away, only to join the fight when a mobster of a Senator threw a Molotov's Cocktail and only narrowly missed Reyna, who was desperate to stop the fighting.

Things escalated quickly when a dozen more legionaries stormed into the Senate from outside the building, only to witness their praetor nearly getting torched alive. As it turned out, Octavian was not as alone as Reyna hoped.

By the end of the day, Reyna had this one bitch of a headache.

She decided to pay a visit to her personal stress reliever, the Praetor's private bathe, Roman, of course.

A loud scream echoed in New Rome.

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 6 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 0800 hrs, Bridge, Argo II - California, United States - Piper McLean**

"You are late," Piper said briefly, not even bothering to glance at Leo as he entered the Bridge, still scowling. At least Jason spared a second to look at his best friend from the mountain of maps under the pair, a worrisome frown was present on his face as well.

"What are you working on?" Leo inquired curiously, leaning over to take a look at the maps that had piled on the table. On the top was a map of the west cost, stretching from the Mexican borders into the depths of Canada.

"We are… searching for Lycaon and his pack," Jason said, not taking his eyes off the map, "Werewolves, if you will, we need to track them down."

"Okay," Leo replied, confused.

"We think tracking down Lycaon is our best chance at locating Juno, our only chance, really," Piper confessed, pushing herself up from the table, "and we have no clue where to begin. We are both fighters, not hunters…. I mean, obviously, if Zoë is here it'd probably only take her a minute, but sadly she isn't, and since you are this ship's engineer and… oh all right! _Comandante Supremo Valdez,_ we were wondering if you could help."

"Hmm…" Leo said with a satisfied grin, "I know as much about hunting as you two, Sparky, Beauty Queen, so I'm going to assume this awesome warship built by the awesome Latino in front of you can magically find magical creatures."

The looks on Jason's and Piper's faces confirmed that notion.

"Well," Leo continued, "Argo II wasn't built as a hunter, so there is very little we can do right now. However, it does carry a built-in passive radar that detects any incoming hostile forces within 50 miles, a warning system. Lucky for you, the most brilliant mind ever walked on Earth is standing right in front of you and it will only take some slight moderations to pick up magical signals emitted by monsters."

Jason's face lit up, "Are you saying what I think I'm saying?"

 _"Sí,"_ Leo said, "But I wouldn't hold my breathe if I were you. It is nearly impossible to pinpoint the location of a particular magical creature just based on their magical signal. Besides, it could easily confuse the energy of a God or a demigod for a monster's. The radar won't be able to cover nearly as much as the entire North America either."

"But it is possible?" Piper injected.

Leo nodded, "How much do we know about Lycaon?"

"Just they are roaming across the west coast." Jason shook his head in frustration, "They could be anywhere in America, or Canada, or even Mexico."

"It's a short notice," Leo said, "But I can probably have it ready this afternoon, though I suppose we'll just have to do this the old fashioned way and sweep through the coast board. Since I only have a few hours… I can't promise more than pinpointing outside the scale of a city… Though an entire pack of werewolves would give away a lot of magical energy, if they are anywhere in California… We'll find them."

Leo left rather quickly to grab some breakfast in the kitchens before heading to the engineering for a long day of hard work, leaving Jason and Piper alone in the Bridge again.

"Could we… I don't know, try that Iris Message thing Percy told up about and try to locate Lycaon?" Piper suggested after a moment of frustrated silence.

"Doubt it." Jason shook his head, "Terra would have thought to sever all the connections or block our sight, she's too smart for that. Beside, for all we know, Iris is out of action like the rest of Olympus. Percy only told me to track down the pack, he said himself was unaware of their location as they are constantly roaming."

Piper growled in frustration, "Just what the Pluto does Percy want us to find…"

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 6 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1600 hrs, Portland, Oregon, United States - Hazel Levesque**

Zoë jumped off Peleus the second the dragon touched the ground, much to the mutual amusement of Percy and Hazel. The ex-huntress looked like she wanted nothing to do with the dragon while Peleus looked visibly wounded… Hazel just hoped Peleus didn't take rejection too badly…

Percy on the other hand was aware of Zoë's reasons. Peleus was a dragon, and it was a painful reminder of Ladon… The darkest chapter of her life, one that she wished to forget. To be one hundred percent honest, Percy was worried for Zoë.

She looked fine, and that's exactly what got Percy so worried. People didn't know Zoë, and they took her usual behavior dismissively. But Percy _did_ know her, a lot better than she led on. He knew she was troubled, and he also knew she couldn't confine to him.

Two thousand years of solitude made sure of it.

Percy sighed and cursed Aphrodite for probably the one-thousandth time of his life. Aphrodite was cruel in her own way, she loved messing with him, and his love life was in ruins long before his father turned his back on him.

First he was in love with his best friend since twelve, the daughter of his father's great rival who turned out to be a back-stabbing bitch. Then he fell for the beautiful huntress who had a poisonously cold exterior, and an interior as dark and broken as his own, someone who believed was incapable of love.

And there he was, Son of one of the eldest children of Kronos and Rhea, Savior of Olympus, Greatest Hero In History, Centurion of Fifth Cohort Twelfth Legion _Fulminata_ and all, yet he couldn't have the one thing he wanted.

Wealth, fame, power, all that rubbish, just ask Percy.

"Why are we stopping in Portland?" Hazel asked, not totally oblivious to the tension between the duo, but she respected them enough to not bring it up.

"I had a dream," Percy replied curtly.

Zoë raised an eyebrow at this, giving Percy a pointed look. The son of Vesta blushed furiously, "Not that kind of dream you pervert!" Percy exclaimed, "It was a demigod dream."

Now Zoë looked interested, "Care to share?" The ex-huntress said.

"I don't remember the details," Percy frowned, his expression was one of hard concentration, "I just know something here in Portland is critical to us. I remember… a-a harpy, and a name, Phineas, Gaea calls him the seer."

"Phineas?" Zoë looked alarmed, she was visibly tensed, her jaw clenched while her fist locked around the hilt of her hunting blade.

Hazel shot her a look.

"We are going to meet Percy's half-brother," Zoë said, "Let's just hope things won't go ugly to blades, he is gifted much like Nerues."

Percy understood instantly, and paled, but Hazel didn't.

"Nerues can see the future," He explained.

Now Hazel was worried.

* * *

 _"I assure you, my lady Terra, it will be worth it." A lazy voice said, "As you said yourself, my dearest Mother Earth, you are in dire need to hunt down the half-blood. My services will ensure by the end of the day, the boy and the spares will be yours, dead or alive, you only need a word."_

 _The ancient voice of Terra sneered at the bald figure in front of her, but refrained from anything further. "You would better keep your word… Phineas, I do not tolerate failure. But success will be rewarded. I can restore your vision, break the curse, and give you all the wealth in the world… Be sure to deliver me all three godlings, I need them alive… for now. You will be rewarded handsomely…. Or hunted to the ends of the world."_

 _The fat man only nodded lazily, "I hope you are ready to unlatch your vaults, Lady Terra, I do plan on being a lot richer real soon."_

 _Terra snorted, not even hiding the disdain from her voice. The pressure of her presence was gone, and Phineas turned around lazily, picking up a double cheeseburger from the table, his entire demeanor screaming lazy._

 _"Now dear," He grinned wickedly at one of the Harpies across him, "You and I are going to get alone just fine."_

 _Percy Jackson woke up with a start._

* * *

 **AN: Hello again, first I want to thank you for your wonderful reviews, they are the highlights of my day. Another chapter is done and our heroes seem to be struggling on multiple fronts. Next chapter, Percy will encounter Phineas, and they have a civil conversation. No of course not, things will go ugly pretty quickly because Gaea won't be happy about it. Jason on the other hand, is just about to find out what exactly Percy is hoping to lead him to. I will try to unfold the plot quickly while rotating between the perspectives of different characters, it's sort of an experiment at this stage. It will still be Perzoë centric, of course. Speaking of which, they will advance in the department of romance, just not right now, so have a little patience. Whether you enjoyed or hated this chapter, I would love it if you could leave a review, they are very helpful.**

 **Thanks again for reading and have a nice day, until the next time!**


	3. Chapter Two: What Awaits In Portland

Chapter Two: What Awaits In Portland

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 6 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1600 hrs, Portland, Oregon, United States - Percy Jackson**

"Phineas was talking to Gaea, she wasn't there herself of course, but he _is_ a servant of hers," Percy explained his demigod dream quickly, "She promised him many things. Gaea seemed to be…disgusted by Phineas, but she enlisted his help none the less, with a heavy payment."

"Phineas must have something Gaea desperately wants," Zoë said, "The Mother Earth is a very prideful deity and she normally does not associate herself with filthy swine like Phineas. If Phineas tells Gaea the future, it could be decisive to the outcome of the war. She will know our every move before we make them, she will see New Rome's defenses and the Gods' plans."

"We will be crashed," Percy finished, "So we'd better make sure Gaea never finds out anything from Phineas."

"How are we going to do that?" Hazel asked, "I mean not to be obvious, but if he can see the future, there's no point trying to kill him. Besides, Thanatos is still trapped, he will just come right back from the Doors of Death."

An uncomfortable silence descended as the trio walked until Percy broke it. "I guess we'll just have to be diplomatic then."

"Percy Jackson? Diplomatic?" Zoë teased, "I didn't know these two could be put in the same sentence."

"Shut up," Percy muttered under his breathe while Hazel broke into a fit of laughter.

"Sorry Percy," Hazel managed to calm herself down, "But I thought it's your still to jump into battle with only a sword and screw everything else."

Percy blushed, looking embarrassed, "Athena must have rubbed off on me." He confessed.

"Let's just get this over with." Zoë's face hardened, her right hand reaching for her trustworthy hunting blade, "Remember, Phineas loves gambling, the bigger the bargain the better. It could be helpful."

Ahead of them, Phineas awaited their arrival.

"Ah demigods," Phineas greeted jovially, "I can always smell demigods."

"Are we really that smelly?" Hazel frowned.

"Of course not, darling!" Phineas laughed, "I might be blind, but I have sharp senses. My name is Phineas, but of course, you already know that. Let me see… A son of Neptune! Oh dear, another child of Pluto… A delegation from New Rome- To what do I own this pleasure?"

"You see-" Percy began diplomatically, but Phineas interrupted him.

"Yes, of course, Percy Jackson! The son of Neptune," Phineas was grinning now, "I can smell ocean on you… hearth as well! Remarkable, so the rumors are true, Vesta adopted you. You are here because you want my help."

"How-"

"Don't look so surprised, dear brother of mine," said Phineas lazily, "I can see the future, remember? I saw it myself. Now tell me, what is it you seek? I can tell you how to free Thanatos, I can tell you where Juno is being held, I can tell you how to unite Greece and Rome and end this Greek-Roman fiasco, I can even tell you how to stop Terra, temporarily _and_ permanently. I can make you wealthier than Pluto himself, I can give you the power to stop death, I can teach you how to disappear, to drop out of the reach of the Gods. Or is it something more personal you seek? You want to know why your father ditched you like yesterday's trash, you want to know why your girlfriend stabbed you in the back or do you want to know what turned your friends, _family_ against you, after throwing your life in the line for them so many times."

Percy clenched his fists, his face long reddened from anger. Zoë had to reach out a hand to grab him arm, holding him firmly in place while running it down the length of his forearm smoothly, calming his down a little, while the ex-huntress herself looked more than eager to blast Phineas into oblivion. Hazel wasn't any less angry than Percy or Zoë, her grasp had found the hilt of her _Spatha,_ but being a trained legionnaire of the Twelfth Legion made her held her ground.

"Did I hit a sore spot?" Phineas smirked, his entire uncaring and lazy demeanor only made Zoë want to hurt him more, "My bad, how about you Nightshade? Had to crawl all the way to the Doors of Death? Just out of curiosity how did you do it? Terra's guarding those passages very carefully, perhaps you _persuaded_ one of the guards to release you?"

Phineas led out a bemused laugh as the angry ex-huntress pulled out her silver hunting knife and lunged at the seer, only to be pulled back by Percy and Hazel as the son of Vesta snuck his arms around her torso and locked her in his iron embrace, while the daughter of Pluto tried and failed to calm her down with words.

"I will kill you! You disgusting swine!" Zoë swore, glaring daggers at Phineas while struggling against Percy's hold, "I will dig your tongue out and feed it to the wolves!"

"You will _try_ to kill me and feed my tongue to the wolves," Phineas led out a bored yelp and reached for oily food on the table that Percy'd rather not touch in a million years, "I can see the future, remember? And right now, I see a thousand different futures, a thousand thing you will do, a thousand realities it will lead to. 67% you will try to strike me in the face… a textbook right hook, I'd say, oh, it has just gone up 73% now. Maybe you'd wipe out that dagger you have concealed in your boots… the one on your left side and throw it at me. Or you might miraculously show intelligence beyond your thick huntress skull and refrain yourself. You are conflicting, Zoë Nightshade, there is an infinity of possibilities in front of you, and an infinity of disastrous outcomes. You want to know how I know all this? Because I see everything."

By the time Phineas was done, the son of Neptune was smirking smugger than ever.

Percy was enraged, he was boiling inside and he knew it. His vision darkened, the only thing he could see were black dots, then they turned blood red. Percy was positively certain that his control was slipping because he could feel the ground shaking beneath him. His earth-shaking power had awakened. Wind was picking up, storm was forming in a distance but Percy didn't care. Zoë had long stopped struggling against him and looked at him with a look a concern, she placed a hand tentatively on his shoulder, but Percy didn't see her. He had his murderous glare fixed on Phineas.

But Phineas only continued as if nothing was happening, "And you, Hazel Levesque. I am quite surprised to see you here, you see, since your patron is Terra after all…"

"I have nothing to do with Terra!" Hazel snapped, she was grasping her _Spatha_ so hard that her knuckles were cracking, her fingers were white and blood was drawn on her nails.

"Of course you do!" Phineas laughed, "A girl risen from death, you do not deny it, do you?" Hazel's _Spatha_ was withdrawn with a sharp slash, but Phineas only looked more bemused than he already was, "How _noble_ of you, Hazel Levesque, sticking with the losing side, but fine, that's your business. By the way, do you know your boyfriend's life is tied to a piece of stick? One spark and he's dead. But of course you do, you have it right there in your pocket. A beautiful thing, death is, absolutely beautiful. And now Terra has re-written the rules of death, I am alive once again! How much would your boyfriend still love if he finds out you are the reason Alcyoneus-"

It was the final straw. Hazel snapped and charged at Phineas with a cry, her _Spatha_ raised. Percy reached for her arm, trying to pull the daughter of Pluto back, but he was too late. Hazel swung her blade and blinked. Phineas was gone.

A second later, the son of Neptune re-emerged behind her. Zoë led out a cry of warning while whipping out her silver blade and hurling it at the back of his skull with dead accuracy. Phineas moved with the speed of a wolf, locking Hazel's sword arm in a dead grip and bringing it back down while kneeing her hard at the back of her joint. The daughter of Pluto yelped in surprise as she was brought down her knees in one swift motion, her own blade turned against her as Phineas yanked her arm, still holding the _Spatha,_ and pressing it against her neck, all in one swift motion carried out with deadly precision under a second.

Without sparing so much of a glance at the ex-huntress, Phineas' left hand shot up and snatched her hunting knife out of air, his impending doom merely an inch away. He brought it down without the slightest hesitation then, burying the blade deep into Hazel's shoulder as the daughter of Pluto led out an excruciating scream, the only thing left visible of the silver hunting knife was its gleaming hilt, covered by blood while the rest of its length found its way deep in the daughter of Pluto's shoulder, tearing her flesh apart as blood poured from the wound rapidly, the sharp tip of the blade glazing against her bone.

Phineas jerked his right arm, yanking the _Spatha_ out of Hazel's hand and into his own hold while the daughter of Pluto collapsed, blacking out from the intense pain. Spinning, Phineas dove out of the way, narrowly missing the second silver hunting knife coming from Zoë, while twisting his body with a slight side jump, rendering the stab of _Anaklusmos_ useless.

Phineas swung the _Spatha_ baseball style, the hard blunt of the blade made contact with Percy's back not gently at all, the Imperial Gold shattering while Percy dropped from the impact. Had he not bore the Curse of Achilles, his spine would have snapped to pieces from the brute attack.

Not passing the opportunity while the son of Vesta fell, Phineas brought up the shattered _Spatha_ and dove straight into Zoë's defense, much to the ex-huntress' shock. Before she could recover, however, Phineas knocked a silver dagger out of Zoë's hand with brute force. Then, he moved, his figure had turned into a blur too quick for the ex-huntress' eyes to catch as Phineas slammed what's left of Hazel's _Spatha_ into Zoë's right thigh violently. The ex-huntress cried in pain while collapsing to a knee.

By the Percy had risen, his eyes burning with hatred, _Anaklusmos_ gleaming a murderous light as the Celestial Bronze sword re-appeared in Percy's hand. Percy leaped, feinting a swing at Phineas's left shoulder while quickly turning the blade around, sending a jab at Phineas' left ribs wildly.

But the seer saw right through it. He might not know the first thing about swordsmanship to tell the move, it was one of the best Percy could muster, but he knew the _future._ He sidestepped _Anaklusmos_ easily, and before Percy could strike again, he grabbed the son of Vesta's outstretched sword arm and swung it using their combined momentum, using it as a leverage as he lifted the son of Vesta over his shoulder and slammed him onto the ground hard, his already shattered back was burning as he crash landed painfully.

Phineas looked tempted for a moment to bring his feet up and crash Percy's thorax with his boots, but apparently thought better of it as he tensed, then spun wildly, missing a slash of silver blur as a certain ex-huntress moved again.

Now Percy wished Phineas had crashed every bone in his body instead. Zoë was standing, but panting hard. Her face was pale, her hunting pants were soaked crimson red, _her_ blood. A silver cloth was tied around her pierced thigh roughly, evidently the rapid bleeding only stopped moments ago.

Zoë leaped off her feet again, her dagger risen, and Phineas _slammed_ into her mid-air. Her small frame was crashed onto the ground as his large figure knocked her off her original course, sending her flying. Zoë struggled to get up, but Phineas already _moved,_ his movement was a blur even in Percy's eyes. By the time his figure was solid again, Phineas had driven his fist onto Zoë's nose. Blood exploded from her face as she fell again, both her hands clutching her broken nose.

Percy felt his blood was boiling. A fiendish rage took over him as he found himself on his feet again, _Anaklusmos_ ready with the full intention to kill. But he couldn't see the future.

Phineas leaned down and yanked her up from her lying position roughly, snatching her by her collar and swung her around. The two demigods collided into each other mid-air, Percy desperately jerking his blade away from Zoë.

They landed painfully. Percy's already damaged back taking most of the impact from the fall. Zoë was on top of him, her hunting blades long gone, blood still pouring from her nose, soaking his purple Camp Jupiter T-shirt wet.

In the corner of his vision, Percy could see Hazel pushing herself onto her feet. The silver hunting knife embedded into her shoulder blade was pulled out roughly with a groan, blood was shooting from her wound at a dangerous pace. The daughter of Pluto's eyes seemed to darken until they were pitch black, like Death itself. Phineas turned away from the fallen pair to face her, his expression bemused.

Percy gritted his teeth and gently rolled over, setting Zoë under him. He bolted up, his hand reaching for the pen form of _Anaklusmos_ in his pocket. A small hand grabbed his arm and stopped him in the middle of his track, soft yet firm. He looked down to see Zoë, her long silky black hair was messy from the physical fighting and stained with blood, both her own and Percy's. Her nose had finally stopped bleeding, but the sight of the numerous bruises and cuts on her body almost made Percy jump at Phineas again.

Zoë only shook her head at him, Percy looked at her in disbelief.

"Stop," She whispered, "We can't win this fight."

Percy looked around, Phineas was approaching them painfully slow from a distance, Hazel had fallen again, her sword arm bent at an unnatural angle and bone was popping out of her left ankle, obviously broken. She wasn't moving.

Percy looked at Phineas then, the son of Neptune was yawning, not a trace of the fighting could be found on him. None of them had managed to land a blow on him, yet all of them were half way to Thanatos. Percy understood instantly, you don't fight an enemy who knows exactly what you are going to do.

He remembered what Zoë said to him, and a plan formed in his head. A crazy one that's probably going to get all of them killed, but a plan nonetheless.

Percy stood up and dropped his sword. For a moment, Phineas looked genuinely surprised, before his expression turned into one of amusement again.

"Finally given up I see," Phineas grinned, "All three of you all high of the Mother Earth's most wanted list, you in particular, Percy Jackson. How much _Denarii_ is this going to earn me? Fifteen thousand? Twelve? I'll just settle for ten."

"I am not surrendering, Phineas," Percy stated calmly, Phineas turned even more bemused, "I have a proposition for you."

"Oh?" Phineas raised an eyebrow, for the first time since their encounter, the son of Neptune looked interested.

"I heard you gamble, and I have one for you," Percy said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out two vials which had already been enhanced to be unbreakable. "These are-"

"Gorgon blood!" Phineas exclaimed, looking impressed, "One if from the left side of a Gorgon, the other right, of course. One of them has the most excellent healing property while the other is the deadliest poison to be found, interesting!"

"What the Hades are you doing?" Zoë hissed, slowly rising to her feet. Both Percy and Phineas ignored her.

"The right one- If you choose right, the Gorgon blood will cure your blindness." Percy said, and judging by the greedy look on Phineas' face, the old man was hooked, "Here're the terms. You will choose one out of the two vials, and I will drink the other. If I die, well, congratulations, the cure's all yours. But if I don't, you will answer _all_ questions I want to be answered truthfully. _But,_ you can not use your ability to see the future, no uncorking, no sniffing. Do we have a deal?"

"No!" Zoë cried, the same time Phineas nodded without a hesitation.

"We have a deal." The son of Neptune said.

Percy closed his eyes, what he was about to do, was probably the most insane thing he'd ever done, crazier than all the disastrous plans he came up with, but it was a risk worth taking.

 _Gaea,_ Percy called out, stretching his senses deep into earth, _Gaea._

The response was almost immediate, _What, little half-breed?_ She sounded bemused.

 _You say I am your valuable pawn- You say you have plans for me, and I'm guessing whatever you have in mind, downing Gorgon poison my throat won't turn out well for you. So, decide now, who is more valuable to you, me or Phineas. Help me beat him, or you will never have me._

Gaea didn't respond, and for a moment, Percy almost lost his nerves, but he reminded himself he'd have no other choice. It was _his_ dream, _he_ insisted on coming to Portland, and now they were trapped.

Behind him, Zoë grabbed his arm and dragged him away from a bemused Phineas, who observed the pair with interest.

"Just what the Hades do you think you are doing?" She hissed angrily, "That's Gorgon blood! We have no idea which vial holds the cure- You are going to get yourself killed!"

Percy shook his head at her firmly, "I'm sorry Zoë, but I have to do this. Without Phineas' information, we are as blind as he is, and we don't have time to search the entire Alaska for Thanatos."

Zoë glared at him, but Percy held his gaze. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to both of them, Zoë's expression softened. "Oh, Percy," She whispered, tears were forming in her eyes now, "Why does it always have to be you?"

Percy only smiled at her sadly.

"You are a good man Percy Jackson," Zoë said, her voice cracked, "I-"

Zoë couldn't finish her sentence. She turned her head away as tears began streaking down her cheeks. Percy could her quite sobs and it was painful to watch. It felt like his heart was being torn apart, physical pain shot through him at the sight of Zoë. He almost turned his heels away then. But he didn't.

People called him brave, and Percy decided to act like it.

Without any warning, Percy reached forward, taking her arms in his hands as he spun Zoë around. Before Zoë could open her mouth, Percy grabbed her by the back of her neck and pulled her into a searing kiss.

 **June 18th 2011 - 6 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1700 hrs, Portland, Oregon, United States - Zoë Nightshade**

* * *

Time seemed to be frozen. Earth stopped spinning, people stopped moving, Zoë stopped breathing. She was frozen in her place.

All her fantasies, all her dreams, all her passions, in this moment, they had all come true, they were all satisfied. She felt content, she felt happy. She forgot her name, her Goddess, her sisters, her quest, the rest of the world had melted away.

There was one thing in her mind, and one thing only.

It was Percy Jackson.

Slowly, she hooked her arms around his neck and returned the pressure.

She grabbed a fistful of his hair, his long, jet black hair.

She pulled him closer, closer than before, closer than they have every been, closer than she thought possible.

Their bodies pressed together, their arms fitting perfectly around each other, their lips moving in perfect syncs.

She pulled him close, hardening the kiss, pouring as much emotion as she could muster, all her love, all her passion, all her blessing, everything she's ever felt for him, into that one searing kiss.

She hoped he understood, all the unspoken words. All the time stolen from them, all the things she wished she'd said, all the things she wished she'd done, all the time they should have had together, all her hopes, all her dreams, for the two of them.

The past she hoped they shared, the future she hoped they will have, the present slipping away from them.

Slowly, Percy pulled away, his eyes boring into hers.

She could see everything he had tried to convey to her, the unyielding love he felt for her. She knew he understood then, because she did herself.

Then he was gone.

 **June 18th 2011 - 6 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1900 hrs, Bridge, Argo II - Washington, United States - Jason Grace**

* * *

"Anything?" Leo asked as he walked into the Bridge, his stomach nowhere full from the few sandwiches he stuffed in his mouth just now, but the day of hard work was worth it. Argo II was already actively searching for Lycaon's pack, and they had reached as far as the border of Washington.

Jason shook his head, looking up at his friend, "I don't understand, we followed Lycaon's from California up to here, but that's just it. As soon as we sailed into Washington, their trace was gone, it's as if they vanished into thin air."

Leo opened his mouth, but a loud bang coming from outside the Bridge captured the attention of both demigods. It was as if a meteor had just struck.

Jason hurried outside, followed closely but Leo, who snatched his Imperial Gold hammer.

"What's going on?" Leo asked, his grip around his hammer tightened subconsciously.

Jason didn't answer. Instead, his stared dead ahead at a tall, bulky figure in front of him with mid-night black hair and blood red eyes. He wore a worn black motorcyclist black jacket and matching dark jeans with heavy, black boots, a black shirt with a bleeding skull was visible under his ragged jacket.

He held a gleaming dagger in his right hand, and pressed against the tip of the blade, was Piper's throat.

"Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, I hear you have been searching for me," He sent them a wicked grin, "Well, here I am."

* * *

 _"Curious, most curious indeed. Events are long in motion, the course of history has been set, yet the smallest change, the simplest disturbance that creates ripples… Ripples after ripples, until the lake is no longer calm." The dark figure said with interest, as the scene unfold him, where a young pair of blackheads was embracing and kissing each other, "Humans… They never cease to amaze me, do they? The entire world places their faith in you… very well Jackson, Nightshade, let's see if your love is strong enough to bring down Gaea, or poisonous enough to ruin you both. But first, can you face your worst nightmare, where your Gods are beyond reach?"_

* * *

 **AN: I believe a moment all of us has been waiting for a long time has finally come. It wasn't exactly my plan, but it just happened, and I'm happy with it. I want to thank you for your reviews, they are wonderful. Percy is now off to face Phineas with his life as gamble while Jason is about to learn very dearly why you should always be careful what you wish for. Thanks for reading and until the next time!**


	4. Chapter Three: You Should Run

Chapter Three: You Should Run

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 6 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1900 hrs, Deck, Argo II - Washington, United States - Jason Grace**

Jason glanced at the bulky figure in front of him, if what he knew about Roman mythology was true, then Lycaon would be one of the most salvage and equally cunning monsters ever walked on Earth.

The situation was bad.

So far, Jason didn't see anyone other than Lycaon, but he would be a fool to think the Lycanthrope had come alone. The darkness of the night had shadowed the deck, it was a pool of blackness and Jason could hardly see a thing.

The thundering stormy clouds blocked the little moonlight from the ship, Jason could glimpse no light, he could hardly make out the features of Piper's face now. He was fighting blind, and Jason was certain Lycanthrope vision was much more adapted to darkness than his human eyes.

"What?" Lycaon snorted tauntingly, "Got nothing to say now little hero?"

Jason clenched his fist, "What do you want?" He spat.

"What do I want?" Lycaon laughed, "The real question is, what do _you_ want? You are one of Mother Earth's most wanted, only second to Percy Jackson. Terra has me in charge of hunting down demigods, and I dare to say I've been doing a splendid job! You should be avoiding me like a plague, even if you are a son of Jupiter, you should have enough sense to evade me. Yet you _want_ to find me, in the middle of your quest. So I'm curious, what do you possibly want from me, Jason Grace?"

"You should know, Lycaon," Jason was panicking internally. He cursed himself for being foolish enough to not set up defensive wards around the ship _and_ letting Lycaon surprise him. He took a deep breath, cleaning his sweet-stretched fists to ease his nerves. Putting on his best mask with typical arrogant son of Jupiter smirk, he snorted at the Lycanthrope, "I am a Praetor of the Twelfth Legion _Fulminata,_ my father is Jupiter, the King of Gods, both Leo and Piper are senior Centurions and we are here on behalf of Olympus, what do you think we could possibly want with you?"

"Curse you Jupiter!" Lycaon paled, for a moment, he was completely ignorant of the presence of the three demigods, "Diana's little girls have been annoying as it is, now the Romans!"

Jason and Leo exchanged a discrete glance, understanding each other perfectly well.

"You are bluffing!" Lycaon accused, glaring at Jason murderously, his eyes were glowing a dark gold as the wolf struggled to break free. His glare, fixed on the son of Jupiter, was so intense that he had completely missed Piper reaching for _Katoptris,_ her fingers were only inches away… "We outnumber you at least a hundred times, and we caught you completely by surprise, you were unprepared! No! You are lying! You are lying just like your father!"

"Now take a look around you," Jason smirked, his voice filled with disdain while Leo made moving at the corner of his vision, "You are on board the Argo II, a Roman ship that was built solely for war. We were ordered _explicitly_ to wipe out your clan on our way to Juno, it seemed that the Gods believed you and your _half-breeds_ wouldn't be much…"

Lycaon led out an enraged roar, his vision had darkened completely as he lunged at Jason in a wolf-like movement. The son of Jupiter sidestepped the attack just as an orange ball of fired slammed onto the werewolf square chest. Lycaon was sent flying with a cry.

He jumped back onto his feet, only to find a Celestial Bronze dagger slashing across his chest as Piper used her momentary freedom to her advantage and struck. The sharp blade glazed at Lycaon's heart, piercing it in one swift motion that would have meant the end for any monster as ichor poured from the wound rapidly.

Piper whipped her dagger away and fell back to rejoin Jason and Leo. The trio of demigods looked at Lycaon in horror as the bleeding stopped altogether in less than a second. The king of lycanthropes led out a dangerous growl as the wound slowly healed, fading until not a trace of the damage Piper'd done was left visible.

"Silver," Piper whispered in realization, "Only silver can kill lycanthropes."

 _"Mierda,"_ Leo swore in Spanish, "We've got loads of silver weapons onboard, but they are all in the armory."

Lycaon stood with another growl, his eyes had returned to blood red while the three demigods took an involuntary step back.

"ATTACK!" Lycaon led loose a monstrous battle cry as shadows descended from above. Dozens of werewolves dropped onto the ship's deck on ropes, only to be joint by dozens more werewolves who emerged from the horizon and climbed onto the ship. "KILL THEM ALL!"

Werewolves charged at them with their claws and fangs, savage grins present on all their faces. The first werewolf moved in a dark blur, and Jason could only bring up _Ivlivs_ instinctively and swing it, hoping for sheer dumb luck. Jason was lucky, his blind swing caught the werewolf's chest as the blade tore it in two, cutting the lycanthrope apart.

The trio then turned and sprinted back into the ship, completely missing how the two halves of the werewolf squirmed back together.

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 6 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1700 hrs, Portland, Oregon, United States - Percy Jackson**

"I just had to do it," Percy whispered, but Zoë showed no indication of hearing him as he turned around and waked at Phineas, "at least once."

Phineas looked at him with the same amused expression and it all made Percy hate him even more, "Young love, always so touching. You do surprise me, dear brother of mine. Out of all the girls who would have thrown themselves at you, you chose a two-thousand-year-old man-hating huntress who is bound to doom you one way or another. Love can ruin even the greatest men, that's why I don't bother."

"I'm not here fore chit-chat Phineas!" Percy snapped, "Let's just get this over with."

"Very well then," Phineas smirked. He snatched the two vials from Percy eagerly, and placed them on the table carefully, shoving the piles of food off. Percy's heart was caught in his throat as he watched Phineas eyeing the vials carefully. Phineas' eyes closed in concentration and ran his fingers along the ceramic surfaces, a tremor passed through the ground. The vial on the left shook slightly more.

"You are a fool, Percy Jackson," Phineas grinned at his wickedly, his hand closing around the vial on the left, "Your time has come, now drink up."

Percy took the vial on the right with shaking fingers, his teeth were cluttering and he couldn't make it stop. The son of Vesta closed his eyes, took a deep breathe and downed the content in one swallow.

"A toast to the sons of Neptune." Phineas' grin widened at the sight of Percy doubling over. A pained, feminine scream could be heard as Zoë sprinted at him, tears in her eyes. Hazel had trouble keeping her back, her own eyes had gone red.

"NO!" Zoë screamed again, kicking out at Hazel blindly, her hands shot at Percy, but the daughter of Pluto held her back. "You can't be dead! Percy! You c-can't… Y-You just can't…"

"Zoë, please," Hazel choked out, sobbing, _"Please."_

Percy however, didn't notice any of it as his vision blurred. He collapsed to a knee, barely keeping himself upright with a hand, the lone palm he'd stuck out on the ground was the only thing that supported his weight. He felt like someone had just shoved a full liter of gasoline into his mouth before setting it ablaze with a match. His throat was burning, he couldn't breathe…

Suddenly his vision cleared.

Zoë stopped crying, disbelief and relief both filled her eyes. Phineas looked _stunned,_ his expression froze, a wide hole formed where his jaw had fell. For a moment, Phineas was too shocked to even register what was happening around him, he could only see Percy getting up, all evidence of pain vanished from the demigod. "Impossible…" The seer muttered.

A look of loathing crossed Phineas' face for the briefest second, then he blinked and smiled as if nothing had happened.

"Impressive, Percy Jackson," Phineas said, his gaze was fixed on Percy, "I can see why the Gods value you so much, Saturn himself underestimated you… and _he_ paid. Yes, yes," Phineas muttered, it sounded like the words were meant for himself only as he took the demigods in.

Zoë marched at Percy, who had all the sudden gone very pale. She then punched him in the face.

Achilles' curse or not, it hurt.

"What the Hades is wrong with you!" Zoë yelled at him, "You were almost dead!"

Before he knew it, Zoë threw herself at him and pulled him into a bone-crushing embrace. Percy was bewildered by her mood swings, but only found himself loving her even more.

 _What a love-sick idiot he was._

A wave of disappointment shot through Percy when Zoë pulled away, her usual huntress look had slipped back on her face again. Percy sighed internally before turning to face Phineas.

"I believe some answers are in order."

"Indeed they are," Phineas said, the same smirk was present on the corners of his lips again and somehow Percy knew it meant trouble, "fire away."

"I need the precise location of where Thanatos is being held in Alaska," Percy said, sitting down that he was facing Phineas.

"Hubbard Glacier, Percy Jackson," Phineas answered, the smirk still on his face. The same amusement was gleaming in his eyes again, "Your precious God of Death is being held in Hubbard Glacier."

Percy didn't know where it was. He turned to Zoë, who looked as blank as he was, and offered him an apologetic look. Hazel, on the other hand, gave him a small nod.

"And what would I be facing there?" Percy continued, "Who or what is guarding Thanatos?"

"An army," Phineas smirked, "Your worst nightmare awaits you there, Percy Jackson. It is an army of shadows not even Pluto himself can touch. You might want to keep the Gorgon blood ready because it will be a far less painful end for you."

"What else?" Percy demanded, his eyes boring into Phineas'.

"A surprise," The seer grinned, and Percy didn't like the feeling he was getting at all, "Prepared personally by Terra herself, just for you. Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for you now."

Percy's eyes narrowed, "What surprise?"

Phineas only gave him a sinister look, "I already answered your question, dear brother. The next time you get someone to make an oath, make sure you state clearly that they need to give you all of the answer you seek. If you can't break the rules, bend them. A twirl of my tongue and you get the truth, but just how _twisted_ it is, I do not know."

Percy cursed in Greek.

"Now what else do you want to know, son of Vesta?" Phineas looked at him with what Percy knew to be great disdain, he was reminded of how Ares had looked at him during their encounter on the beech of St. Monica. As if he was beneath his boots, as if he wasn't worth his time.

"I want to know about the Greeks, have they joined forces with Gaea?" Percy inquired, his tone was flat and his face was stoic.

"Yes, Percy Jackson," Phineas was beaming at him when he spoke those words, amusement _glowing_ in his eyes, "Over a hundred Greek demigods have joined the ranks of Terra's army. Camp Half-Blood is under the control of the Mother Earth now, only so few remaining who are in fierce opposition, but they no longer hold power, the Gods have abandoned this obsolescent Earth. The world will burn, Percy Jackson, _believe_ me it will."

Percy, whose face was completely blank by then, rose to leave, but Phineas spoke again.

"Not so fast, dear brother," The seer was smirking sinisterly, Percy's body tensed alarmingly, "I made an oath to answer your questions, but I uttered no word about letting you leave."

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 6 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1910 hrs, Argo II - Washington, United States - Leo Valdez**

"Blast them!" Jason cried, a bolt of electricity shot from him palm, striking a werewolf in the chest. The Lycanthrope dropped in a thud and was soon swarmed by his advancing comrades.

Leo concentrated hard, calling his inner demigod power. Half of his was God, and he'd put it to good use. With a loud cry, a wall of orange flames shot up, consuming a wave of Lycanthropes who were surging at him too quickly to halt themselves in time.

Loud, animalistic screams erupted as werewolves crashed into the wall of flames, a sickening smell was in the air confined air as Lycanthropes were scorched alive. More and more werewolves screamed at the torching sensation orange fire on their skin.

Large beards of sweets formed on Leo's forehead rapidly as he struggled to keep the wall of fire up. Sure he trained his fire power regularly and never hesitated to use it to his advantage during spars, but keeping up a wall of flames powerful enough to reduce an endless wave of Lycanthropes to dusts was taking a toll on him.

"To the armory!" Leo told Jason, his knees buckling as the veil of flames fell. The Lycanthropes were too stunned and scarred to move for a moment, allowing the trio of demigods to turn and sprint away. An enraged cry shook the werewolves out of their trance, they marched with even more enthusiasm and ferocity than before, their fallen comrades already reforming.

"We can't hold them off," Jason said, conjuring a small ball of electricity in his left hand and throwing it over his shoulder as soon as it danced into existence. It was impossible to miss, the werewolves had formed a black storm, and they were approaching fast, eager for blood, "We have to abandon the ship."

"Leo," Piper hissed urgently, "Does Argo II have a self-destruct function?"

"When you are _building_ what's probably the most massive warship in the history of New Rome," Leo replied, "You don't build it so you could just blow it up later. Lucky for you, I can probably overload the ship's energy core, destabilizing it. If someone could go down to the weapons bay and manually set off all the bombs we've got onboard, the energy core will blow and everything onboard will be ripped apart."

"I'll go to the engineering and take care of the energy core." Leo ordered, "Jason, arm all our Greek Fire missiles, make sure you leave yourself enough time to get out of there. Piper, I need you to go to Bridge, lock it down and engage emergency ejection protocol, you know how to ride Festus. Sparky will be fine on his own, son of Jupiter and all, but one of you guys will have to pick me up on the way down."

Both Jason and Piper knew what Leo meant instantly, the look of determination on the son of Vulcan's face was matched by Jason's and Piper's.

"And if I don't make it." Leo stopped in his track, his expression was the most serious anyone has ever seen, "You guys are the best friends I could have ever had."

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 6 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1715 hrs, Portland, Oregon, United States - Zoë Nightshade**

Zoë froze. She could see Percy doing the same. Hazel had a stunned look on her face as her grip around her _Spatha_ tightened.

She couldn't believe what she just heard.

She could see Percy turning to face Phineas again very slowly, his expression grim.

Phineas barely lifted a finger to dispatch all three of them at once, and they were in their top shape. Now, after the painful fighting and the intense stand off, there was no way they could last more than a few seconds against the son of Neptune.

Zoë looked at Percy desperately, but he seemed just as helpless as she was.

Realization came crashing down like a wave, there was no way out.

She was the Lieutenant of the Hunters of Artemis for two thousand years, she had long lost the count of how many wild beasts had perished at her hands, countless dangerous fugitives wanted by the Olympian Council were hunted down by her personally. She'd had more than her fair share of life or death situations, her escapes from death were far closer than narrow. In any given day of the last two millennia her life was on the line, maybe she was used to it.

But she had never felt anything like this before, her impending doom was approaching, and there was nothing she could do. There was no escape, no help coming, her Goddess was torn apart by Greco-Roman split persona. Did Zoë fear death? No, she _did_ die once.

But this time was different, she didn't want to leave, not yet. She glanced at the man next to her, and her hand found its way around her dagger. If she was going down, she'd go down fighting next to Percy Jackson proudly.

The last time she felt anything remotely close to what she was feeling now, she was on Mt. Othrys facing her father. Percy Jackson stood by her side as well, but the nature of their relationship had taken a drastic change. It had turned into something she would never dare to fathom before.

"Put away that pretty sword of yours," Phineas waved with a snort, "If I want you dead, you'd already be dead fifty times over now, Percy Jackson. The same goes for you, Hazel Levesque, the vial of Gorgon blood in your hands would make sure I don't return to the land of living for a long time, but just how do you think you are shoving it down my throat?"

"Killing you or capturing you would put me in favor of the Mother Earth," Phineas continued, "But I am an old man now, I have lived thousands of years and spilled thousands of secrets. There is so little left in this world that interests me anymore. You, however, do interest me, Percy Jackson. You and Terra would make an excellent show for me, now be gone, I can not wait to see what happens in Alaska."

* * *

 _Boom._

 _Piper'd better be there to catch me._

* * *

 ** _Guest: Whoever you are, you are right. Percy can't tell either Jason nor Thalia about the other, so he chose to direct Jason to Lycaon who Thalia is after. The pair will be re-united in no time._**

 ** _The other Guest: I'm genuinely curious, just how OOC the characters are?_**

 **AN: Not my best chapter, I apologize for that. I do need your opinion on something, should I throw more mundane stuff into the story, like more light dialogue, or should I keep it driven by intense action? I really want to know how I'm doing so far so leave a comment via review of PM, I really appreciate and need any form of support, they are what's driving this story forward. Thanks for your time and all your lovely reviews, until next time.**


	5. Chapter Four: What We Left Behind

Chapter Four: What We Left Behind

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 6 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1900 hrs, Portland, Oregon, United States - Percy Jackson**

"What _will_ happen in Alaska?" Percy pressed, his eyes fixed on Phineas.

"Many things, Percy Jackson," Phineas grinned, "Many things."

"What about the Doors of Death," Percy changed the topic, having decided he wasn't going to get anything else about Alaska from the seer, "How do I close them."

 _"You?"_ Phineas burst into laughter, "You don't, Percy Jackson. Immortal or not, you are only a demigod. Not even the Gods can close the Doors of Death in their full might, it is impossible."

"For me?" Percy said sternly, "Maybe, but I've done the impossible before, many times over."

"Very well then," Phineas said with a bemused expression, "You shall find the one who holds the answer in due time, Percy Jackson. Seek out to him, find him, and you will know."

"And just who is this person I need to find?" Percy inquired.

"You will see it in no time, Percy Jackson." Phineas' reply came smoothly.

Percy made to leave, before Phineas stopped him again.

"Before I forget, Percy Jackson," Said Phineas, pointing his finger opposite him, "See that red-haired Harpy? Take her with you, I have decided to make things even more interesting by giving you her. Maybe, you even stand a chance against Terra now, no matter how slim your chance is, Percy Jackson."

By the time Percy, Zoë, Hazel and their newly acquainted Harpy Ella had put enough distance between themselves and Phineas, the sun had already set. They decided to call it a night, and camp in Portland, too exhausted to carry on moving after the day's events.

"Why do you think Phineas led us take Ella?" Hazel whispered to Percy. The daughter of Pluto had quickly taken a liking to the Harpy, after keeping reassuring her that she was safe and Phineas was gone. Zoë on the other hand, was a whole different story. It didn't take an Athenian brain to figure out that the ex-huntress spent far more time putting arrows between Harpies' eyes than being civil with them, judging from the disdainful expression on her face.

"I don't really know," Percy shook his head, "I saw her in my dream, and Phineas seemed to think she is valuable somehow. Whatever it is, I just hope she can help us."

"You don't think…" Hazel started, "That Ella is a fortune-teller or something, do you?"

"Not a chance," Percy stiffed a small laughter, "Ella is special, we all saw that. She's certainly very intelligent in her own way. But still, it doesn't make sense. Phineas said we could potentially win the war with Ella." Percy said, sparing a discrete glance at the said Harpy, "But I just don't know, how can a Harpy possibly topple the tide of the war like that?"

"And the one Phineas spoke of," Hazel asked, "You honestly have no idea who it could be?"

"The Doors of Death…" Percy muttered, for a moment, Hazel could read uncertainty in his eyes as they settled on her. The son of Vesta then shook it off and told Hazel, "No."

Percy was keeping something from her, Hazel knew it instantly, and somehow, it was related to her. But Hazel knew better than to press Percy for something when the son of Vesta is not keen to give it.

"Okay," Hazel said sharply, turning her heels away, "I'm going to rest now, wake me up when it's my turn to keep watch."

"Hazel," Percy called her quickly.

Hazel turned back to look at him with a raised eyebrow, "Anything else I can do for you?"

"About what Phineas said," Percy said hesitantly, "What happened with Alcyoneus, you know it wasn't your fault, right?"

"Sure." Hazel murmured hastily and walked away.

Percy sighed silently at Hazel's retreating figure, it had been a long day for all of them, and the daughter of Pluto probably took it worse physically than both him and Zoë. Casting a glance at the said ex-huntress, who'd found herself a secluded spot on the branches of a tree, covered by shadows and the dark night, her hands on her silver bow, to make sure she's okay.

Percy led out an exhausted sigh, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Came Zoë's curt reply.

"Listen… about earlier…" Percy started, but Zoë cut him off.

"If you are referring to the kiss," Zoë said, and Percy blushed, surprised at her such bluntness at the topic, "Don't worry about it, I don't plan on killing you for it and I forgive you. Just don't do it again."

Something inside Percy's chest sunk, he couldn't identify the feeling, "Yeah, sure."

Someone might as well hit the pause button then. For a while, neither of the pair spoke, the atmosphere around them was so uncomfortable that Percy started to fidget.

"Do you remember the conversation we had right before we left New Rome?" Zoë asked, finally breaking the silence.

Percy nodded grimly, he remembered it too well.

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 6 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1930 hrs, Praetor's Penthouse, New Rome, Camp Jupiter - California, United States - Reyna Ramírez-Arellano**

Reyna led out a very un-Reyna like high-pitched scream. She wouldn't be too surprised if half of New Rome heard her. Percy blushed furiously when he realized what was happening on the other side of the Iris Message.

"Sorry!" Percy said in embarrassment, before covering his eyes while Reyna tried to cover her body with as many bubbles as possible in her bath so quickly that put Mercury to shame.

Double checking to make sure the bubbles had her covered up, Reyna coughed awkwardly, drawing Percy's attention. "Is there something you want?"

"Umm- Oh yes, yes," Percy muttered, his cheeks still flushed, "We know now for certain there is definitely an army headed your way. Led by the Giant Polybotes, I believe. They will be there by the Feast of Fortuna."

"Thanks for telling me that Percy," Reyna replied while praying to Bellona that a towel would just pop up and wrap itself around her. "But the Legion's scouts had already confirmed this just before you called."

"Oh," Percy said, now feeling incredibly stupid, "How's everything going on in New Rome then."

"Just great," Reyna said sarcastically, "Someone tried to human torch me this morning in the Senate. As it turned out, Octavian was not acting alone as we hoped. We just confirmed fourteen senators to be spying for Terra, and I would be an idiot to think there isn't more in the Legion and the city."

Percy nodded thoughtfully, "It would make sense, Zoë and I were suspecting someone higher up must have been feeding Terra intelligence, otherwise Luke would never have been able to slip his ship into the city undetected like that. Now that you mention it, it was probably one of those senators. How are preparations coming along, by the way?"

"Slow, but progressing," Reyna said uneasily, Percy did not miss the flash in her eyes, "We've mobilized as many willing retired legionaries as possible. We suffered heavily during the attack, but the ranks are being filled, and defense infrastructures are being re-installed and reinforced. I just hope it will be enough."

Percy gave her a grim nod and quickly recounted his encounter with Phineas, the fighting, the bet and the answers the seer had yielded to him. At the end of it, Reyna gave him an unreadable look.

"Only you Percy Jackson," She muttered, shaking her head in disbelief, "I don't know whether to call you brave or stupid."

Percy flashed her his most charming smile, earning a roll of Reyna's eyes in return.

"Is there anything else I should know about?" Percy inquired cautiously, Reyna shook her head.

"Goodbye then."

Percy's imaged vanished, and Reyna led a silent tear fall.

On the other side of the Iris Message, Percy nodded at Zoë gravely.

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 6 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 2200 hrs, Festus - Washington, United States - Leo Valdez**

Leo growled loudly as he slowly blinked, his eyelids parting. His vision was blurred, Leo could only see blackness. He blinked again, and slowly, his vision cleared, his senses kicked back in.

Almost immediately, Leo wished they hadn't, because _everything_ hurt.

"I am so going to kill Percy after this." Leo grumbled, he tried to roll on his back, but had to bite down a scream when tearing pain shot through him.

"Easy there, repair boy," A light chuckle entered his ears. Leo's eyes drifted to the source of the sound, and he found himself staring into a pair of blue eyes. He blinked, and they were green. "You took a pretty bad hit."

"What happened." Leo managed to choke out, his throat was on fire. Gods, he would kill for some water right now.

"The ship blew up, like you said," Piper answered, offering him a small smile. Her hand reached into her pocket and the daughter of Venus pulled out a small square of Ambrosia. "Here, it would make you feel better."

Leo accepted the Ambrosia gratefully, and his felt better instantly. Piper him a small flask of Nectar, which he downed in one swallow. It tasted glorious, and Leo's aching muscled burned considerably less.

"We took out the entire pack of werewolves," Piper gave him another warm smile, "Not even Lycaon made it out. It would probably buy us enough time to lose them from our tail even if Thanatos is still being held by Terra."

"Where's Jason?" Leo asked, his throat wasn't smoking anymore, which was good news, though his voice was still dry.

"He tried to wait up for you," Piper said, "But he exhausted himself, he used too much power to fend the werewolves off. You scared us, you know. I couldn't see you anymore, Festus couldn't find you either. Jason picked you up after the blast and carried you back to Festus. By the time you two were back, Jason was already dead on his feet."

Had Leo not been too exhausted to even think, he would have felt guilty, but instead he only managed a nod, "How long have I been out?"

"Two hours?" Piper shrugged, "Didn't exactly keep track of time while you were unconscious."

Leo tried to sit up, but Piper placed a firm arm on him, keeping the son of Vulcan on his back.

"Don't even think about it," Said Piper, and Leo didn't have the strength to fight her, "You are still too weak."

"Where are we going tomorrow?" Leo inquired, his voice was strained, "Now that Lycaon is dead, our only lead is gone."

"Not necessarily," Piper said thoughtfully, a concentrated look on her face, "Jason has an idea, though he passed out before he could finish telling me what it is. I think it might have something to do with Lycaon's attack. How was he able to slip onboard the most advanced war machine New Rome has ever built? Someone must have answers for that."

Leo nodded again, not fully understanding what Piper was suggesting.

"Rest now," Piper said sternly, "I'll take watch tonight - don't even try to argue with me, both you and Jason need the rest for tomorrow."

Leo opened his mouth to protest, but Piper beat him to it. Sweet, melodic voice left her mouth and before Leo knew what was going on, he was already fast asleep.

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 6 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1930 hrs, Chicago - Illinois, United States - Thalia Grace**

"Alright girls, looks like we aren't going to find anything else tonight, let's set up camp," Thalia announced, before turning to her lieutenant, "Phoebe?"

Phoebe nodded at Thalia and followed her into the Lieutenant's tent with a strode, while the other hunters were busy setting up tents and tending the wolves.

"We've been tracking Lycaon's pack for months now," Thalia started, "And yet we are still no closer to catching him, bastard literally vanished on us in Chicago. You are our best tracker Phoebe, what do you make of this?"

"Lycaon _was_ in Chicago," Phoebe said, "We followed him all the way here. But our sweep across the city came up with nothing, which I don't understand, not even the trace of one werewolf was found. He must have already left Chicago then."

"Yes, but how?" Thalia asked, puzzled, "It's as if Lycaon knew we were coming, and got away before we could reach him."

"I don't know," Phoebe shook her head, "I could try to trace movement of magic in large quantity or any significant energy surge, we might find something."

Thalia nodded, deep in her thoughts.

"Yo Thalia!" A loud voice came from behind her, almost causing the daughter of Zeus to jump. She whipped her head around, only to find Percy beaming at her. "Hey Phoebe."

Phoebe offered Percy a polite smile, before excusing herself from Thalia's tent, leaving the two cousins alone.

"Percy?" Thalia said in surprise, finally giving the image of her cousin a good look. Percy looked visibly exhausted, his raven-black hair was as messy as ever, Thalia would make shadows under his eyes - _yet,_ but exhaustion filled his eyes, along with a shade of something Thalia had trouble reading. "What are you doing here? Is this for your quest?"

"Listen Thalia," Percy nodded, he looked severe and grim, "You haven't heard from Nico lately, have you?"

* * *

 _"Piper McLean."_

 _Piper gasped as she looked into Katoptris._

 _"Surprised demigod?" The deep, powerful voice haunted. A black cloak covered every inch of the man's figure. Piper could barely make out the man's eyes, they were two pitch-black swirls, like black holes. Piper was unable to look away._

 _"You should consider yourself lucky," The man snorted, "Usually I do not show myself before inferior beings. But with you, I shall make an exception. Tell me, is this the first time you have seen me?"_

 _"No," Piper answered truthfully, her eyes were still locked onto the mans', like the pull of an invisible magnet, "This is the second time."_

 _"Impressive," The man nodded, "Not many mortals could say they have seen me, so few that I could count with one hand. The last one had been years ago, I believe. Your Gods know things didn't turn out well for that girl."_

 _"You must be confused as to why this is happening." The man continued, Piper could only nod, "Usually, your subjects would not be aware that they are being watched on the dagger Katoptris, I, however, am much more powerful than them, far more powerful than the magic of your dagger, therefore the case does not apply to me."_

 _The man waved his hand, and Piper was shown the image of a young man. He was a tall figure, who looked to be in his early twenties, with sandy blonde hair and light blue eyes. A noticeable, long scar could be seen across the length of his left cheek. He was talking to a girl, she was moderately tall, with honey blonde curls that would have made many of her siblings jealous. Her eyes were stormy grey, different from any pair Piper had ever seen, and they seemed to be glaring at the man. With a jolt, Piper realized the girl was struggling._

 _"That is Luke Castellan," The man continued, "Son of Hermes, or Mercury, as you Romans call him. He is the one responsible for the attack on your city."_

 _Piper couldn't help but gasp, her eyes still locked on the man's. It felt strange as if the sound was pulled out of her throat forcefully, when she tried to keep it down._

 _"It all started when two cousins wrestled for the Golden Fleece, the son of Poseidon and the Lightning Thief. And now it has final come, the foes shall meet again. Do you see it, Piper McLean, it is written in their fates, they are mortal enemies, as they always will be, struggling against each other throughout the course of their lives."_

 _Piper's eyes widened._

 _"And now you have realized, I hold great power in my hands, I can wipe out your enemies with a wave, or your Gods, the choice is yours, Piper McLean. What I do, it is entirely up to you."_

 _"Why are you telling me this?" Piper asked, shocked, "Why me?"_

 _"Because, Piper McLean," The man chuckled, "You are a lot more significant than you believe yourself to be, among your legion of ants. It only takes one second and I can alter the course of this war you have coming your way."_

 _"Are you going to help us then?" Piper asked, she thought the hope in her voice was stupid, no matter how tiny it was._

 _"I see no reason to intervene," The man replied smoothly, "I have stood and watched for so long, your world, even if it is to crumble, will have no effect on me. A powerful being like myself do not get interested very often, and yet this war interests me, you interest me."_

 _"You have royal blood in your veins, Piper McLean, that is the reason this dagger shows itself to you, that is the reason you can see and converse me. Impress me, and I might yet lend you a hand."_

 **AN: Hey guys, sorry for the delay in updating, I'll try to stick to my weekly update schedule this time. This is a transitional chapter more than anything else, and many things mentioned here are setting the scene for the future, I do have a bigger picture in mind. Also, notice the bits and pieces I've been dropping at the end of each chapter in _Italic?_ I'd pay very close attention to them if I were you. By the way, I've got a poll up on my profile, so if you are reading this, please check it out. Thanks again for reading, it means a lot to me, and I appreciate any form of feedback, comment or criticism. Enjoy your day! :D**


	6. Chapter Five: The Life We Live

Chapter Five: The Life We Live

 **June 19th 2011 - 5 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 0500 hrs, The Bridge, Princess Andromeda II - Idaho, Unites States - Luke Castellan**

"Luke," A voice whispered behind Luke Castellan quietly, almost timidly, "What are you doing up so early."

Luke didn't turn around, so Annabeth did. She put a hand on Luke's arm and tugged at him to get a better look at his face. Luke looked very different from the handsome boy she remembered when she first met him and Thalia on the run. His eyes were still blue, but much different now. His eyes were filled with a steel iciness she had grown all to familiar with, a far cry from the gentle warmth he used to look at her with. There were heavy shadows under look's red eyes, filled with bloodshot. His dirty blonde hair was unusually untidy, a fair reflection of his mood. He wore a white shirt without much care, the top two buttons were undone, leaving Annabeth a glimpse at his scarred chest.

"Why won't you even look at me, Luke?" Annabeth asked, sounding hurt.

Luke sneered, and he _did_ look at Annabeth, but not in a way she would have liked. He seemed hostile, and it only served to confuse Annabeth even more. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Luke…"

A dismissive wave was all she received.

"You need to rest Luke," Annabeth pressed, "You are barely sleeping at all. You will stress yourself out."

"What do you know now?" Luke snarled, Annabeth realized with a pang at her stomach that Luke wouldn't even say her name, "The Mother Earth… She brought me back to life… She owns me, and she will kill me if I fail her."

"You aren't going to, Luke," Annabeth said reassuringly, though it was clear her words weren't having their intended effect.

"You don't know anything Annabeth," Luke snorted, laughing inwardly.

"Lu-" Annabeth opened her mouth again, but Luke cur her off.

"Our ship is still in pursuit of Jason Grace," Luke said, "They will soon cross Montana, and reach Illinois all too quickly."

"What are our orders?" Annabeth asked, couldn't help but feeling disappointed.

"That we turn north," Something inside Luke's eyes glinted, and Annabeth didn't like it at all. A sudden headache was forming. "Jason Grace doesn't matter, even if he does meet the hunters, like Jackson has planned. They are no longer predators, but preys, without even realizing it. We are to make sure Percy Jackson does not leave Alaska instead."

 _Percy Jackson…_ A splitting headache had formed, the searing pain forcing Annabeth to drop to a knee. "Luke… What?"

"I'm sorry about this." Luke said, and drove his fist onto Annabeth's face.

 **June 18th 2011 - 5 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1300 hrs, Seattle, Washington, United States - Percy Jackson**

Percy swore under his breaths furiously.

When he set into Seattle, this was _not_ what he had in mind.

"Get him!" Bellowed an enraged, coarse voice, its feminine traits almost completely unrecognizable. A volley of Imperial Gold arrows followed.

Percy cursed once again, and threw his body sideways, spinning mid-air to avoiding being struck by the arrows, only missing narrowly. In the corner of his eyes, Hazel was wielding precious metals to shoot out from underground rapidly. Gold and platinum erupted from earth and shot into the mighty female warriors chasing them closely. Half a dozen more fell before Hazel's _Spatha_ was met with the tip of a spear.

Hazel performed the disarming technique Percy's taught her, and wrenched the spear out of the grasp of her foe before proceeding to knocking her out with the blunt of her blade. Three more closed onto her, all armed with spears.

Percy raised _Anaklusmos,_ recalling his epic fight with Jason that left the coliseum in ruins. Concentrating on the sun burning above him, golden beams of sunlight were absorbed into his blade as _Anaklusmos_ glowing a powerful golden aura. With a loud cry, Percy slashed _Anaklusmos_ down, pointing at the three warriors charging right at Hazel.

A golden beam of raw energy exploded from the tip of his sword, and struck the first warrior down. Percy withdrew and made a wild swing across his vision, another blast of energy exploded from his blade, and hit the remaining two warriors square chest like a bolt of lightning. They collapsed instantly.

"Run!" Percy bellowed, a ball of bright orange fire forming on his left palm.

Hazel didn't need to be told twice and the daughter of Pluto took off running.

Percy brought his sword down in a powerful thrust, dropping down to a knee as the sharp blade pierced into earth itself. Ground beneath his started cracking as he drew on his inner earth shaking power, something he despised as it came from his birth father. But seeing he was surrounded by a small army of man-loathing warriors with some very sharp spears and arrows and all seemed to want him dead, or worse, Percy decided he had no choice.

Sky darkened as stormy clouds gathered, wind started picking up. A storm had formed. Ground shook and cracked, the warriors who were closing onto Percy from all directions were blasted off their feet simultaneously. A massive bolt of lightning that would have made Zeus jealous flashed, and Percy was gone.

His movements were a blur even in the most trained eyes, he moved with the speed of light, with a strange violent grace. Flashes of gleaming light were seen as warriors fell one by one, not even knowing what had struck them, with various cuts and bruises on their bodies.

Thanking Apollo, Percy caught up with Hazel.

"Where is Zoë!" Hazel shouted as they ran.

"She went to get Peleus!" Percy shouted back, "He's our only chance at getting out of here alive!"

"Well she's taking her time!" Hazel said, dodging as a golden arrow whipped passed her ear blindly. "If she's going to show up, any time now!"

"Who the Tartarus are these people!" Percy cried, "and how did they know we are here!"

"Like I'd know!" Hazel snorted.

A monstrous roar came from above, the sound wave created a destructive force that sent everything in its perimeter flying. Blue flames erupted, and earth burnt. Loud screams could be heard, following by sharp commands as the warriors fell back, and re-grouped in a fluent motion, and led loose their arrows at the enormous dragon.

A rain of silver arrows descended from the sky in retaliation, catching the warriors by their shoulders, arms and legs. Half a dozen more went down, crying in pain and blood poured from their wounds where the arrows struck.

"Look who decided to show up!" Percy said as he pulled himself onto Peleus' back, and extended an arm to grab Hazel's wrist and pull the daughter of Pluto behind him.

"Really Percy?" Zoë rolled her eyes, "I was only gone for a few minutes and you already miss me this much?"

"You know I can't resist you." Percy grinned at her mischievously.

"Look guys," Hazel said, "Why don't we just go now, I'm sure you guys can flirt later."

"We are not flirting!" Shouted Percy and Zoë simultaneously, before blushing and looking away from each other at the same time.

"Wow did you guys rehearse that or something?"

Zoë gave Hazel a death glare, but the daughter of Pluto was unaffected and flashed her a huge grin while Percy growled.

"Just go!" Percy snapped, and Peleus took off with another loud roar.

"Watch out!" Zoë cried as another volley of Imperial Gold arrows were launched at them. Peleus roared angrily as some of them hit his skin, and bounced off without much damage done.

"Who are they?" Percy asked again, hoping Zoë might have answers. He was right.

"The Amazons," Came Zoë's curt reply, "I've dealt with them before."

"The Amazons?" Repeated Percy in astonishment.

"Yes," Zoë rolled her eyes, "The Amazons. They founded that mortal company as a front for their operations as a source of wealth. They have been expanding their empire underground for centuries."

"And they are after us now?" Percy said.

"Apparently." Another snort, "The Amazons are very much like the hunters, except they interact themselves with males, and they usually work for the highest bidder, no matter what is asked."

"Someone sold us out," Percy concluded after prolonged silence, "They couldn't have known we were here otherwise."

"Yes, but who?" Hazel asked.

Percy and Zoë exchanged an uneasy glance.

 **June 18th 2011 - 5 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 0830 hrs, Festus - Idaho, United States - Piper McLean**

"Chicago?" Said Piper in surprise. Jason nodded at her.

"Yes, Chicago."

"What's in Chicago?" Asked Piper again.

"Aeolus," Jason answered, "He is the Master of the Winds and his residence, the floating island of Aeolia is located in Chicago."

"You think he's the reason Lycaon and his pack managed to bypass our defenses and board _Argo II?"_ Piper asked, realizing where it was going.

"Indeed," Jason nodded, "A few months ago, right after the defeat of Saturn, the Praetors received a message. That Aeolus was now ordering all the wind gods in his affiliation and all their charges to eliminate any demigod who seek aid."

Piper blinked.

"Reyna and I had to keep this quiet for obvious reasons," Jason continued, "We had no idea how the legion, or the senate would react to a powerful deity now turning on us. And since Aeolus would be receiving commands directly from Olympus itself… well, we really couldn't afford it to become common knowledge. We destroyed the record and swore to secrecy."

 _"Ab dis immortalibus!"_ Piper gasped, "Percy is right, the Gods really have turned their back on us."

Jason nodded gravely, "Especially my own father. Or this could be due to the confusion created from the Gods suffering split persona. But either way, I think Aeolus is worth paying a visit. We need to know what we are up against."

"Chicago…" Said Piper, deep in her thoughts, "It's a long way to go from here. If we are wrong about this… Even if we _do_ find Juno, there might not be enough time left for New Rome."

"I know," Jason said slowly, "But it's our only option right now. Lycaon could return from the Doors of Death any minute and when he does, we don't have another warship to blow up. Aeolus is either acting on the orders of Olympus, or working for Terra."

Piper took out _Katropris,_ hoping to catch a glimpse of something, and when she did, she had to suppress a gasp. She saw Percy and Hazel running furiously as golden arrows whipped past them. A small army of at least dozens of warriors wielding spears were chasing after them.

 _May the Gods help them._

 **June 18th 2011 - 5 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1500 hrs, Seattle, Washington, United States - Zoë Nightshade**

Zoë pushed open the door into the café gleefully, she could really use some hot chocolate right now. Hazel volunteered to get their drinks, while Percy and Zoë sat across each other tiredly. It had been a long day.

They would have preferred to ride Peleus all the way across the border, but it wasn't realistic. Riding a dragon would catch too much attention, and right now, it was the last thing they needed. The Amazons were sweeping Settle top to bottom just to find them, and air passage was being monitored closely.

Zoë looked up, as one of those boxes mortals call a television started buzzing. Soon, the image cleared and the noises vanished. She found herself paying attention to the woman appearing on screen.

 _"Seattle police department has released the names of suspects who they have confirmed to be after the attacks on the city today that has left dozens injured, and several buildings destroyed."_

Three images popped up on the screen while the female voice could still be heard in the background. Zoë cursed under her breathe.

 _"They are Perseus Jackson, Zoë Nightshade and Hazel Levesque. Jackson is believed to be the leader of this group. He was warranted for the disappearance of his mother, Sally Jackson at the age of twelve, and he was witnessed exchanging gunfire with a nefarious terrorist in St. Monica that left dozens injured, according to the police department."_

The woman's voice vanished, and their pictures were replaced by the image of a mid-aged, stern looking man in one of those mortal police uniforms.

 _"We are doing everything in our power to catch these people. Washington state troopers have been deployed in the area to assist local police force. Hundreds of police officers have tasked with the mission to hunt down these people. The governor of Washington has been briefed and authorized the mobilization of national guard as we speak. All commercial flights in and out of Seattle have been suspended. Police officers are searching the city door by door as we speak. All ports are being monitored by authorities closely and guards have been posted and alerted on both sides of the border. Canadian authorities have been contacted to watch traffic across the border closely. We will find these people, and bring them to justice."_

The woman's face popped back up on the screen again, while videos of SWAT teams storming the streets of Seattle were shown, the loud noises made by helicopter propellers could be heard.

The door of the café was busted open, and four Amazons surged in, all looking viciously gleeful, accompanied by screams of mortals.

Zoë reached into her quiver.

* * *

 _Annabeth Chase woke up in her room on Princess Andromeda II. She blinked in confusion at first, before an evil grin formed on her lips._


	7. Chapter Six: You Were Always Behind Us

Chapter Six: You Were Always One Step Behind Us

 **June 18th 2011 - 5 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1500 hrs, Seattle, Washington, United States - Percy Jackson**

When Zoë was watching the TV closely, Percy was watching Zoë.

She looked tired, they all were. The quest had been a difficult one, Phineas didn't just give them new scars, he tore open old ones, and that usually hurt a lot more. Her volcanic black eyes were just as how he remembered, distant and determined, with lingering softness underneath if you looked hard enough, or if she chose to show it to you. Her long silky black hair was pulled back in an elegant ponytail, Zoë had explained it was more convenient in combat. She wore a silver jacket, white T-shirt and a pair of pale blue jeans and brown boots. It didn't take an Athenian brain to figure out it was the closest thing she had to a hunting uniform.

Her face was slightly pale, with a distant expression on her face. It was her usual look now, ever since she showed up in New Rome. Percy always remembered her being the one hunter who stood out the most. She was always distant, except for rare moments with her fellow hunters. Her eyes held two thousands years of unspoken wisdom and anguish. Her jaw was set firmly in determination. Percy disliked how distant she was acting these days, almost indifferent. Maybe returning from the land of the dead was having a bigger impact on her than he thought.

She was always deep in her thoughts after their rushed departure from New Rome, sometimes even troubled. And she rarely share whatever was on her mind to him anymore. He was worried.

Someone jabbed his ribs. Percy looked up and saw Hazel. The daughter of Pluto looked pale, hot chocolate in her hands but her eyes were fixed on the TV. Percy followed her line of sight, and saw photos of the three of them on the screen. He had to keep down a gasp.

Apparently the Amazons wanted them more badly than he thought, and they had tricked the mortal police into joining the hunt for the trio. Percy supposed he should feel honored the world's second largest group of man-haters were going through such great lengths of trouble just for him. Could it be they were obsessed with him.

 _Dear Hestia, I'm turning into Leo._

Percy zoned out for a few seconds, and his attention was brought back to reality by four Amazons bursting into the café, all of them armed to teeth.

"Percy Jackson," One of the Amazons gave his a very predatory smile, "Queen Otrera requests your presence. It would be wise for you to come with us willingly - or painfully, your choice."

A silver arrow whipped past him, and caught the Amazon warrior by her knee. Percy took this as his cue and sprang into action. He jumped over the table, brought out _Anaklusmos_ and slammed the tilt of the blade onto another Amazon all in one fluent motion.

The third Amazon charged at him with her Imperial Gold spear, while the four went for Zoë. Percy and the Amazon locked blades and exchanged blows. Percy feinted a stab at her left side, and brought his blade back quickly, thrusting it at her right thigh. The Amazon swung her spear and blocked the move without much trouble.

She then thrust her spear at his chest, a move which Percy sidestepped, but clearly it had been anticipated. A fist came flying at Percy's face, and the son of Vesta swung his neck back at the last second. Before his opponent had the chance to strike again, Percy's left hand shot up, and snatched the Amazon's swung fist. He twisted using brutal force, forcing the Amazon to drop to a knee while Percy brought his foot up, knocking her out with a hard kick to her forehead.

Percy turned around, just in time to see Zoë disarming the last Amazon with her hunting knife. A thrust of her free hand and the last Amazon was on the floor as well. The trio ran at the door, and kicked it wide open, only to find themselves surrounded.

There were at least a dozen mortal police vehicles, their lights flashing. In front of them stood at least twice as much mortal police officers, all aiming their weapons at them.

"Police! Get on the ground!" The mortal police shouted. Letting his instincts take over, Percy summoned a wall of fire, blocking them from the view of the mortals. The trio back stepped into the café uneasily.

"We need a plan B." Percy said.

"How about the backdoor?" Hazel suggested, while Zoë notched another arrow onto the string of her bow.

"Good idea." Percy nodded in approval, and they sprinted through the front door back into the café.

"Police! Don't move!" More shouts came directly at them. Half a dozen more mortal police officers charged at them slowly, in all black. Black helmet, black uniform, black vest and black boots, the only thing that wasn't black were the large letters SWAT, printed in white, in clear contrast with their black gear. Each one of them had a very deadly looking MP5 submachine gun in their hands, raised and aimed at their foreheads. They wouldn't do much harm to Percy, mind you, Curse of Achilles and all, except it'd hurt like a bitch. But Zoë and Hazel on the other hand…

"Duck!" Percy cried, and shoved Hazel onto the ground, throwing himself behind a flipped coffee table as well. A silver arrow, meanwhile, had found its way into the first mortal policeman's shoulder, forcing him to drop his weapon.

The mortal police advanced on them and fired their weapons quickly, paying little mind to the mortals who were still inside the café and were screaming, searching for cover.

"Guess they found the backdoor before we did, huh?" Percy laughed humorlessly as he pushed the rounded coffee table along his tracks, providing minimal cover until he reached Hazel, who had taken shelter behind the counter.

Hazel waved her hand, and precious stones shot from the floor of the café, taking down two mortal policemen who were caught by surprise. The rest of them kept on advancing. Percy saw Zoë, on the other side of the café, retaliating with her silver arrows, putting the mortals out of actions as quickly as she could, but she was being overwhelmed.

Her pained groan and the sound of a bullet hitting her in the arm confirmed it. Her silver bow slipped out of her hand as Zoë was forced to take cover behind an extremely fragile-looking wooden table.

Front door was kicked down as two dozen more mortal policemen stormed into the café, their weapons ablaze. Percy cursed and kept his head low behind the counter. A SWAT officer closed on Zoë, who lunged at him with her hunting blade raised, but another had snuck up behind her back, and fired his weapon at her. Zoë collapsed as another bullet struck her right leg, blood pouring from her wound rapidly. The mortal policeman unceremoniously yanked her up by her hair, and slammed her onto a wall, forcing her back down her knees. Zoë didn't have the strength to struggle as they handcuffed her roughly, shoved her against the wall again, and pressed the barrel of a Beretta 92 pistol onto the back of her head.

It all happened too quickly for Percy's mind to process.

"Percy Jackson!" One mortal police shouted, his submachine gun fixed on the counter behind which Percy and Hazel were hiding, "Come out and surrender!"

"Percy, Percy!" Hazel gave Percy a slight shove, who was too stunned to take notice of the large group of mortal police approaching them, or how the four Amazons they knocked out earlier had all risen.

Percy turned to Hazel slowly, who only looked at him gravely. Her eyes made themselves very clear. They had no choice. They had to surrender. Not if Zoë wanted to get out of the café alive.

Percy nodded at her numbly, dropped _Anaklusmos_ beside his feet without even noticing, and stood up, his hands behind his head. Hazel followed the suit.

Not a second later, they were shoved against a wall and had their hands cuffed.

 **June 18th 2011 - 5 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1510 hrs, Seattle, Washington, United States - Zoë Nightshade**

It all seemed surreal to Zoë, from getting shot, to getting handcuffed, and getting a gun pointed at the back of her head. She had closed her eyes, even though she wasn't ready to say goodbye to the world for the second time.

Then Percy and Hazel had surrendered themselves. They were shoved outside the café roughly, each one of them was handled by two mortals who were not keen to be gentle at all. They were thrown into the back of an armored SWAT truck, at least half a dozen cameras were shooting when bags were thrown over their heads, blinding them as the door slammed shut.

Zoë could feel barrels on them in the dark.

The ride was dead silent, nobody was talking. It took the truck quite a while to reach its destination. When the door was opened, and she saw light again, it felt like a life time had passed.

The bags were taken off them as roughly as they were put on. Zoë expected them to be taken to a police station of some sort, but she was terribly wrong. Two police vehicles parked on either ends of the truck. Fully armed mortal police got off the cars, following the ones escorting them. At least a dozen guns were pointed at their back.

They were brought to the Amazons headquarters.

Inside was a maze. Amazons could be seen wearing black T-shirts, all carrying a weapon of some sort, mostly spears. An infinite number of stairs later, Zoë found herself in an enormous cave, still handcuffed along with Percy and Hazel. It was a throne room of some sort. Dozens of Amazons were already in there, waiting for them.

The mortal police brought them in front of the throne. By then Zoë was too weak to take notice of what was happening around her. Two 9mm submachine gun bullets were still inside her, the mortals only had the decency to patch her wounds up roughly. She was feeling incredibly dizzy, it was so tempting, just to close her eyes and sleep. Maybe…

A mortal kicked her roughly, causing her head to snap to the woman sitting on the throne. She had short silver hair and blood red eyes, a cruel smile playing on her lips.

She then rose, and walked until she was right in front of them.

"Hello again Zoë Nightshade," Zoë recognized that voice instantly, it was Otrera, the founder and first queen of the Amazons, daughter and consort of Ares, "I didn't think we would meet again. The last I heard, you met your end three years ago."

"Otrera." Zoë spat weakly.

"Prideful as always, I see," Otrera snorted at her disdainfully, glancing at Percy and Hazel for a brief second, "Even death can not make you a lesser bitch than you are. Associating with males now? I didn't think you would become this low, Nightshade."

"What do you want?" Zoë glared at her.

"The Amazons have joined Terra under my command, as you see," Otrera gave Zoë a smile that sent shivers down her spine. "We are on the winning side this time. Those who dare to oppose the Mother Earth will burn."

Otrera paused, glanced at Percy with visible disgust, and turned back to Zoë, "Percy Jackson is wanted by Terra, whatever the Mother Earth has in store for him, I assure you it will not be pleasant. But you, however, don't have to suffer the same fate. The Mother Earth wants a boy and a girl, she didn't say who. Zoë Nightshade, I make you the same offer I did millennia ago, I offer you a place in my kingdom. A woman like yourself… your talents would be immensely valuable to us."

"And I give you the same answer I did millennia ago," Zoë sneered, "Burn in Tartarus."

"Very well then," Otrera looked at her coldly, and spared only a glimpse at Hazel, turning to one of the mortals and giving his a nod, "Kill the spare."

It all happened too quickly. Before Hazel could react, she was kicked in the back of her knees, forcing her down on the icy cold floor. Without warning, a mortal policeman pressed his handgun on the back of her head.

His finger was on the trigger.

* * *

 _"Hello, Praetor Reyna," Luke Castellan smirked as the Roman's head snapped at him, clearly caught off guard. She reached for her weapon, but Luke sent it flying outside her reach with a wave of his hand, "Surprised to see me?"_

 _Reyna glared at him, her eyes full of hatred, "What are you doing here, Castellan?"_

 _"Why, can't I visit my favorite Praetor?" Luke laughed humorlessly._

 _"Whatever you want, just get on with it."_

 _"You see, a little bird told me that numerous new defenses have been set up around New Rome, and you were the one doing the organizing. Well, good job, I have to say, if, let's say, Gaea's forces are to attack now, I imagine the casualties would be very heavy, am I right?" Luke looked at her, smirking smugly, "Now we can't have that, can we? I need you, to tell me exactly what they are, where they are located, and how to get past them."_

 _Reyna was silent, her glare was still fixed on him intensely._

 _"I don't need to remind you the consequences… should you refuse to co-operate, do I?" Luke looked at her coldly, a cruel smile on his lips._

 _Reyna lunged at him, but she was thrown back. Someone kicked her in the stomach, hard, leaving her lying on the ground, gasping for breathe._

 _"Watch what you are doing, bitch!" A female voice sneered. Reyna looked up, to find Annabeth Chase giving her a sickly sweet smile, "Try to touch my man again and I will cut your hands off!"_

 _"Now, Annabeth," Said Luke in amusement, "We are, after all, guests here, as this is Reyna's house. It would be terribly rude of us to disrespect our host like that, wouldn't it?"_

 _"Of course, dear," Annabeth smiled at Luke, and Reyna had to fight down the urge to empty her stomach. "Forgive me."_

 _"Now," Luke Castellan walked towards Reyna, the cruel smile never leaving his face, "Are you going to tell me what I want? Or do I have to remind you what's at stake here?"_

 _Reyna swallowed, she despised herself for doing this, and had it been her choice, she would have already killed herself, but she couldn't. Terra has the one thing she loves more than anything else in the world, and she couldn't risk it, even at the cost of betraying her people._

 _She nodded slowly._


	8. Chapter Seven: Who's The Hunter Now?

Chapter Seven: Who's The Hunter Now?

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 5 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1530 hrs, The Dungeon, Amazons Headquarters, Seattle, Washington, United States - Hylla Ramírez-Arellano**

Hylla Ramírez-Arellano didn't know how many days it had been since Otrera finally defeated her in their duel. Hylla was the Queen of Amazons, and now she was only a prisoner, of her own people.

Hylla knew things were going really bad when Terra brought Otrera back to life. Her throne was challenged immediately, and though she managed to defeat Otrera, and send her back to Pluto, Terra brought her right back.

Every night, Hylla would kill Otrera in a duel, only for the founder of Amazons to revive and challenge her again on the following night. An entire fortnight she held her ground, defeating Otrera in every duel, but she was exhausted. Until one day, Otrera managed to wound her severely. Hylla was told she was lucky to keep her right leg, but it all became too much for her.

When Otrera challenged her again the following night, she finally snapped. Otrera defeated her after two long hours of duel. Her spear had long snapped, and her daggers were nowhere to be seen. Otrera had her at the mercy of her blade, a slight push, and the tip of her spear would rip her throat open. By then Hylla could barely stand.

She was adamant though, she was completely exhausted, and had long known that moment was coming. In fact, she surprised even herself by standing on her feet against Otrera for as long as she did. Hylla fought bravely that night, she'd poured every ounce of her strength and skill into the duel, but she was simply too exhausted to keep fighting on.

Hylla refused to kneel, she refused to look away from Otrera's eyes, and she refused to show fear. But fate pulled a cruel joke on her. Otrera laughed, as she drove her spear into her left foot. Hylla screamed and went down, but Otrera wouldn't even let her have the dignity of death.

She was thrown into the dungeon, her lieutenant Kinzie was now Otrera's lieutenant. Kinzie did whatever she could to make things better for Hylla, which wasn't very much. Giving her a minute of break from the torturers Otrera sent and making sure she stayed alive - even though Hylla wished she didn't.

Otrera made her watch, as her sister Reyna was threatened into submission, out of the fear for her life. Not only did Hylla doom the Amazons, but also did she doom the Romans, all because she wasn't strong enough to beat Otrera.

Hylla was so disgusted with her own existence, but Otrera would never let her die, knowing her survival was the only thing they had on Reyna - the Praetor of New Rome. Sometimes Hylla could hear Terra's taunting laughter. Pathetic, weak, Hylla couldn't agree with her more.

Every day was the same now, being tortured by Otrera until she was satisfied, drifting between consciousness and darkness and wishing she was dead. Hylla had lost count of days, or any concept of time. Then, the door of her cell was swung open, and two people were thrown in.

She recognized one of them instantly.

* * *

 **June 19th 2011 - 4 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1030 hrs, Crawford, Nebraska, United States - Thalia Grace**

"Damn," Thalia muttered under her breath as she swung her trustworthy silver bow over her shoulder, the quiver strapped on her back was half empty. She thrived for battle, one of the main reasons she chose to become a hunter, because it felt that she belonged. However, when you kill someone, or rather, something, they are supposed to stay dead for at least half a decade. It's no fun at all if they just keep coming back, especially when her mistress Artemis the Goddess of Hunt was out of action, suffering Greco-Roman split persona.

The hunters were chasing Lycaon's werewolf pack, and now they were being chased by the wolves. It only took fifteen or so werewolves, a small fraction of Lycaon's pack to reverse the tide of the hunt, turning the hunters into the hunted. The Doors of Death were open, and Thanatos went missing, you kill monsters, only for them to return mere seconds later for you to kill them again, and again, and again.

Phoebe had managed to locate a massive wave of magical energy in Washington. It could be nothing, of course, but Thalia didn't have any other lead on Lycaon, so she decided to investigate. Then they were ambushed.

A small group of werewolves caught on their trail in Iowa and chased them all the way to Nebraska. Thalia wasn't particularly thrilled of being in Nebraska, having heard about the quest for her douchebag of a father's Master Bolt from Percy.

They were powerless in front of the werewolves, who would return seconds after their disintegration. So they ran, but they could never outrun the werewolves, not when they were the predators, and certainly not when they were preys.

The hunters were only feared by monsters due to their superior tactics, training, mobility, weapons and the presence of their Goddess. But all their advantages were gone now. Two hunters died so the rest of the hunt could get away.

Thirty hunters fought in the Battle of Manhattan, only eight saw Kronos' defeat. Twenty-two hunters fell during the three-day battle. After the war it was won, the hunt mourned for their fallen sisters and moved on, acting as if nothing had happened as they recruited the same way they've been doing for centuries. Offering young girls the lucrative promise of immortality and family, girls who were either too innocent or too broken to turn down the offer.

They filled their ranks quickly enough, seventeen new recruits joined the hunt, during the short year of peace between the fall of Kronos and the return of Gaea. Life carried on as usual, but something changed. Percy asked her whether she had seen Nico recently. And she had.

She saw the son of Hades three weeks ago. He looked even paler than usual as he visited her. His eyes were distant and unfocused, the sound of his voice was absently unreal. The last thing her cousin said to her before he too, went missing, was that she acted as if Bianca never even existed.

Maybe Thalia was wrong, maybe Artemis was. The hunt, what it stood for, why it was there, Nico doubted all of it. Thalia knew Nico blamed Artemis and her hunt for his sister's death as much as he had blamed Percy for it.

Thalia sighed. She committed herself to Artemis' service literally for the rest of the eternity the day before she turned sixteen, Nico was rarely in the land of living anymore and Percy found a new life among Romans after he was betrayed. The three cousins were drifting apart, so much for children of the Big Three sticking together.

"Where are we?" Her second-in-command, Phoebe asked.

"In the middle of absolutely bloody nowhere." A younger huntress growled with an edge in her voice. Thalia could understand it, it was a tough day for everyone, maybe her toughest yet since the Battle of Manhattan.

"We should stop here," Thalia ordered before things turn into a nasty fight, "Set up camp girls. I want groups of five standing guard and patrolling the perimeter in rotation with the wolves. Phoebe, my tent."

Phoebe followed her into the Lieutenant's tent. They sat on two chairs uneasily.

"We might have at least a few hours before the werewolves can find us again," Phoebe broke the tense silence, her voice strained, "We really should keep going to put as much distance as possible… but we are all exhausted. More than half of these girls had no proper training whatsoever six months ago, they are not really to face what might come."

"Do we have a plan?" Thalia sighed tiredly.

"Keep running and don't let them catch you." Phoebe shrugged, "Not much we can do before Thanatos is freed."

"If anyone can do it, it's Percy." Thalia sighed again, "I just hope in the end, everything would turn out to be okay."

"Someone is coming!" A huntress shouted from outside. Thalia and Phoebe quickly rushed out of her tent, their weapons out.

An alarmed huntress stood at the border of their temporary camp, an arrow already notched on the string of her bow, looking visibly tense. The wolves barked as all the hunters had now formed formation, all of their weapons ready.

Three people stumbled out of the forest.

The first was a girl. She was beautiful, with pretty chocolate brown hair that was pulled into a ponytail and a tanned skin. She seemed to be glowing, despite the fact that she was stained with dirt and blood, evidently she'd just been in a battle. Her eyes were constantly shifting between brown, blue and green glamorously. Thalia knew instantly that she was a daughter of the Love Goddess, and she was a warrior.

Following her closely was a short, slimly-built Latino boy with a goofy look on his face. He had curly black hair, dark brown eyes and pointy ears that gave Thalia the impression of a Santa's elf.

The third person had tidy, light blonde hair and electric blue eyes much like her own. He was a tall, muscular figure, with handsome features that would surely catch the attention of a lot of girls. He had a very serious expression on his face when he came into Thalia's view, she noticed a golden blade held tightly in his grasp. On the corner of his bottom lip, Thalia could see a small scar.

"Jason?"

"Th-Thalia?"

* * *

 **June 19th 2011 - 4 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1030 hrs, Crawford, Nebraska, United States - Leo Valdez**

Leo tried to tune in on the conversation, he really did, but in his defense, the view in front of him was very distracting. She was easily the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, with those electrifying blue eyes of hers, and her beautiful shoulder-length black hair. Leo knew she was supposed to be his best friend's long lost sister and all, but he was crashing on her. Bad.

A disbelieving expression was still on her face as she talked to Jason. Clearly it was a huge shock to both of them. She looked thoughtful and somewhat confused. Electric pulses sparked in her blue eyes occasionally, Leo could see passion and impulses burning behind her eyes, and yet she had this composed, cold enigma about her that spoke of the complete opposite.

She wore silver hunting uniform, like the rest of the hunters, with a delicate silver circlet glowing above her. It made her appear even more distant that way, like a Goddess in mysteries, where mortal men may only catch a glimpse of her immortal beauty under the shimmering moonlight.

"Juno?" Unmistakable disgust crossed her face, just as it did in her voice at the name of the Queen of Olympus, "If I were you, I'd leave her where the Hades she is to rot."

"I can't do that," Jason shook his head, "Juno is my patron, it is my duty to come to her aid when she calls it."

"Don't be so naïve little brother," A sneer came from Thalia, "Juno doesn't care about you, or me. To her we are just expendable pawns, she'd throw any of us away without hesitation to save her own skin. You might be willing to give your life for her, but she won't even be willing to lift a finger for you."

"You may be right," Jason said, "But this is my quest, and I have to complete it, what I feel isn't important. Porphyrion will rise if we don't rescue Juno from him, and we wouldn't stand a chance in a fight against the Giant King."

"Fine, but I that doesn't mean I'm happy about it." Thalia growled before she leaned in and took a closer look at Jason, as if the full weight of the events that transpired in the last ten minutes just came crushing down on her, "But Gods - It's really you Jason. I can't believe it. I thought I'd never see you again."

"I can't believe I'm seeing you again either," A remarkably soft expression appeared on Jason's face, "It's been fourteen years."

The entrance of the tent opened, interrupting the tender moment between the two siblings, revealing Phoebe - If Leo remembered her name right, Thalia's lieutenant. She was carrying a handful of cups filled with hot chocolate. With a friendly smile at Piper and an extremely unfriendly one at Leo, Phoebe handed them their hot chocolate and went next to Thalia.

"Any sign of Lycaon?" Thalia asked.

Phoebe shook her head while giving an interested look at Jason. It was no secret that the hunters hated males, but the fact that Jason was their lieutenant's long lost brother apparently stirred more curiosity than distaste.

"What's going on?" Piper cut in, "Lycaon?"

"That lowlife and his pack of dogs have been chasing us," Phoebe explained, "Going on offensive would be suicidal since Thanatos being missing means we have no way to kill them for more than a few seconds."

The trio exchanged worried looks, which didn't go unnoticed by the two hunters.

"What? Something you'd like to share?" It was Phoebe's turn to ask now.

"Before we left for our quest," Jason spoke, "Percy told us to track down Lycaon and his pack. He said it would lead us to where we need to go."

"Wait, Percy?" Phoebe asked in surprise, her eyes had gone wide, "You know him?"

"Yes," Jason replied with a confused expression, "Wait, you guys know him as well?"

"Yeah," Phoebe muttered, shooting a side glance at Thalia, "Can't believe he never told you. What's he playing at?"

"I don't know," Thalia said, though she didn't look too pleased with her cousin, "Percy is a lot smarter than people give him credit for, he must have known Jason is my brother. Though it confuses me why he never told me or chose to direct you to us by sending you off a wild chase on Lycaon's tail, I trust him judgment. Without him, none of us would be standing here now. He must have done it for a good reason."

"Gods would only give us riddles, and I was hoping our friends wouldn't be the same." Leo murmured, "Does that mean you guys know Zoë too? She popped up a few weeks ago literally out of nowhere, been staying in New Rome as Diana's ambassador."

"Zoë? As in Zoë Nightshade? Long black hair, dark eyes?" Thalia asked, her eyes were wide, but it was something more than just shock, anger, confusion, fear, joy, they were all there.

Leo nodded.

"Oh Artemis…" Thalia's hands went up to cover her mouth. Next to her, Phoebe had turned as pale as paper. "B-But that's not possible…"

"Why?" Leo asked, still confused, but Jason and Piper seemed like they have come to the realization.

"Because she's dead." Was Thalia's shocked reply.

"The quest to save Diana?" Jason asked, his suspicions were confirmed when Thalia nodded.

"But why…" Piper spoke up, "Why would Percy keep this from us? And why does he find us to meet? Especially now?"

"I may have the answer to that." Said Phoebe. All heads snapped to her. "I think… I think Percy thinks that Gaea is too powerful for us to defeat, that the only way to survive is if Greece and Rome are united. Think about this, Thalia, you are a daughter of Zeus and lieutenant of the hunt. Jason, you are the Praetor, you are siblings and you are both powerful and influential, a lot of people would rally behind you. Maybe, just maybe, the two of you can become the bridge to finally bring Greece and Rome together."

"Do you know how insane that sounds?" Jason asked in disbelief, "I can accept the fact that Percy is a Greek, but it's only because he has earned my respect, and I am a lot more liberal than most of my fellow Romans. If Greeks and Romans become aware of each other's existence, we could be looking at another Trojan War except it would be far worse because no one will be able to stay out of it this time!"

"I have been alive for a very long time," Said Phoebe, "Including Zoë. And I have already lived for centuries when Rome was built. I remember a time where Olympus and demigods are united. If anyone can make that happen again, it's Percy. But I do hope he would hurry up and set Thanatos free, otherwise we are no different from lambs for slaughter."

"Wait," Thalia suddenly said, her voice was urgent with a sharp edge in it, "Jason, how did you guys come across here? Only the most skilled hunters can find our camp, and, believe me, people don't stumble across us with sheer luck."

So Jason told Thalia everything that happened during the quest, including their search for Lycaon, the werewolves' surprise attack, getting away on Festus, their plan to visit Aeolus for some answers in Chicago and being attacked by a dozen werewolves right after landing.

"The werewolves chased you here…" Thalia's eyes widened in realization, her voice becoming louder and louder, "No, you didn't find us. This, this was all a part of the plan. You are here so Lycaon can have his pack surround us and wipe us all out with one strike!"

Thalia leaped into action, jumping off her seat and summoning Aegis, sprinting for the exit, her movement was a blur, followed by Phoebe. The trio followed the hunters out, only to see Thalia shouting orders loudly, and hunters rushing to their posts, weapons out.

"Phoebe," Ordered Thalia in a sternly composed voice, her expression was cold and hard, "Organize our defenses as quickly as possible, time is against us. Leo, make yourself useful around here, I'm sure we could use a son of Vulcan's help. Jason, Piper, come with me, we need to figure out what we are up against."

* * *

 _"Tartarus." Spit a small, pale Italian boy._

 _"Nico di Angelo," Bellowed an authoritative voice darkly, "Impressive, you know who I am."_

 _"What do you want?" Nico demanded._

 _"Good question, Nico di Angelo," Bellowed the same authoritative voice, "The answer to your question can be split into many parts, but in this case, I want to make you an offer."_

 _"I know exactly what you are going to say, Tartarus." Nico snapped, "You want Percy for some agenda, and you are going to tell me you will release me from this pit if I help you get Percy. I will never betray my friend, Tartarus, so do yourself a favor and save it."_

 _"Really?" Said Tartarus in a haunting voice, "Well tell me, demigod, are so loyal to Percy Jackson that you would choose him over your sister?"_

 _"Don't you dare talk about my sister!" Nico shouted angrily._

 _"But you are tempted," Tartarus laughed, "I can see it in your eyes, Nico di Angelo, I just made you an offer you can not resist, even it comes at the expense of Percy Jackson. Remember, I am a Primordial, all I have to do is to snap my fingers, and you can return to your world, along with your sister. Providing… that you are willing to fight for it."_

* * *

 **AN: I'm incredibly sorry for disappearing for so long. For those of who want to know what happened to Hazel... it'll be the first thing next chapter, I promise. I'm going to be really busy for a while, so I can't say when I'll be able to update next, but I'll try my best. You are welcomed to make a guess what Tartarus wants Nico to do, it's not spying for him or giving him information or anything like what Gaea's forcing Reyna to do.**


	9. Chapter Eight: Prisoners of Earth

Chapter Eight: Prisoners of Earth

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 5 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1510 hrs, Seattle, Washington, United States - Percy Jackson**

Otrera's lips parted, a cruel smile formed on her face as the corners of her mouth shot up hauntingly at Percy. The world seemed to be in slow motion, then, it wasn't. Percy lashed out before he knew what he was doing, his actions were instinctive, there was only one thing in his mind, that he would not fail another friend.

"Run!" He shouted, body slamming into one of the mortals holding Hazel.

The guards had been distracted. For a moment, everyone in the room was too stunned to react. Hazel was the first to snap out of the trance and yanked herself free from the mortal holding her, before turning her heels away and making a run for the exit.

Everything was moving again. A mortal quickly raised his gun and took aim at Hazel, but Percy was already there, disarming the man with a single twist of his wrist, forcing the weapon out of his grip, before punching him in the face for good measure, knocking him unconscious.

Otrera was barking, shouting orders from her throne. Amazon guards and the mortals were running with their weapons high. Zoë was unguarded now, but her injuries were too grave for her to try to escape, Percy hoped she would be okay. The Amazons were making for the exit, no doubt to go after Hazel while some mortals had their weapons fixed on Percy.

Percy dropped to a knee as a volley of bullets struck the wall behind him. Percy lunged for the gun dropped by the mortal he'd knocked out and quickly fired, hitting one mortal square chest and sending the rest scrambling for cover. He was lucky the bulks of the mortal police with automatic weapons had stayed outside the Amazon Headquarters.

He rolled over as the mortals returned fire in retaliation. Percy found cover behind a pillar and quickly took aim, cutting down three Amazon guards before they could reach the exit. A curse left Percy's mouth as more bullets hit the pillar, the mortals were approaching him slowly, their weapons ablaze. There was nothing more he could do for Hazel now.

Percy turned sharply and ran for the next pillar, firing over his head without looking, hoping some of his shots would actually land on one of the mortals. He let out a sigh in relief as he hid from the sight of the mortals behind the pillar. He looked at his gun and cursed once again, he was out of bullets. He caught a glimpse of Zoë in the corner of his vision, being dragged away to Otrera by an Amazon, at least she wasn't caught in the crossfire.

A dozen Amazon warriors charged at him, hoping to cut Percy off while the mortals approached from behind. Percy reached into his pocket and closed his fingers around _Anaklusmos._ The Celestial Bronze sword had returned to his pocket shortly after the mortals relieved him of his weapons at the café. He took it out and uncapped the pen, a shimmering three-foot long Celestial Bronze blade extended into his right hand.

The Amazons were already on him. Percy raised his arm to block a spear while sidestepping another. His left hand shot up, grabbing the shaft of the Imperial Gold spear before its wielder could retract it, while he brought down _Anaklusmos_ with as much force as he could muster, sending the other spear flying with a swing of his arm. Percy shoved his left arm at the two Amazon warriors, knocking one of them off her feet, before bringing his right arm up again, connecting his fist with the other Amazon's jaw, knocking her out of action.

Percy flipped the spear so the business end was pointing at the incoming Amazons, and drove it into the third Amazon warrior's leg. Percy jumped back to avoid a jab sent his way by the forth Amazon, slamming the blunt of his blade onto her exposed side with a sharp snap of no doubt ribs breaking. The fifth Amazon seemed hesitant at the sight of her four comrades going down so quickly. Not letting his opportunity go waste, Percy brought up _Anaklusmos_ and fainted a strike at the right of her head. The Amazon warrior took the bait and moved to intercept the blow with her spear, only for Percy to turn his blade sharply, swinging the Amazon off her feet swiftly.

Percy brought his foot up, ready to deliver a powerful kick to the fallen Amazon when something hard struck the back of his head. The son of Vesta fell to the ground, dropping his sword with a loud clutter while his spear was kicked out of his hand. Percy rolled onto his back, struggling to get a good look on his attacker, only to find himself on the end of a gun.

Percy's body shot up from the floor, his shoulder slamming into the waist of his attacker while his hand swatted the gun out of the mortal's grip. His fist forcefully connected with his attacker's face, effectively shattering his nose before he was roughly grabbed from behind and thrown on the ground once again.

"Enough!" Otrera bellowed in rage, jumping off her throne and marching at Percy.

"Lock down the headquarters." The Amazon Queen ordered coldly, her icy eyes shooting daggers at Percy. "Find the girl, kill her."

"You will never catch her." Percy didn't back away from Otrera, like many men would have. Instead, he held Otrera's glare with one of his own, replying without flinching.

"We will see about that," Otrera said, contempt flashing in her eyes, "Take them."

The last thing Percy felt before blackness took over was the familiar feeling of hard metal slamming into the back of his head.

* * *

 **June 19th 2011 - 4 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1045 hrs, Crawford, Nebraska, United States - Thalia Grace**

"Watch your steps," Thalia warned. Normally there wouldn't be the need to say this as her fellow hunters were as adequately trained in the art of stealth as she was, but with demigods outside the hunt, she wasn't so sure - even though she did hold the Twelfth Legion in high regard. "The last thing we need is for Lycaon to know we are here."

Both Jason and Piper nodded, following her with steps as silent as her own - albeit with much less grace in Jason's case. The son of Jupiter's hand clutched the golden coin form of his trustworthy _Gladius, Ivlivs._ Closely behind him, Piper had her dagger _Katoptris_ out, ready to use it on anything she'd spot as her eyes scanned the trees in alert.

Thalia had been the Lieutenant of the hunt for over two years now, and she already had a handful encounters with Lycaon. She knew how cunning the lycanthrope was, having heard stories from Phoebe, and how many sisters had been lost to Lycaon. He was cunning, even Zoë would have admitted that much, but not smart. Smart was not the word Thalia would describe Lycaon, or any of the werewolves in his pack with. They were clumsy, rogue and undisciplined, unlike the hunters. A pack as unprecedentedly large as the one Jason described would certainly create a lot of noise, but this…

Thalia's eyes sharply searched for any trace of the lycanthropes, any sign that could prove their presence, but there was nothing. No snapped twig, no distant chatter, no friction of leaves, nothing. Something was off. Her Lady Artemis had told Thalia to trust her instincts as a hunter, and right now, her instincts were screaming at her to get the Hades out of there.

The daughter of Zeus came to a sudden halt, putting up a hand to signal Jason and Piper to stop. The three demigods froze in their track.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked, concern present in his voice, "Did you hear something?"

"That's the problem." Thalia shook her head, sliding out a silver hunting blade from her belt and gesturing Piper to take it. "Only silver can kill a lycanthrope. We would carry silver weapons with us just in case, but we are caught by surprise this time. Jason, blast them with lightning if you see them, demigod powers can kill them as well - until they return from Doors of Death a few seconds later, I suppose."

Jason nodded grimly while Piper strapped _Katoptris_ on her belt in favor of the silver blade Thalia had given her.

"Keep your eyes open and ears sharp." Thalia ordered before tapping the silver bracelet resting on her left wrist, summoning her fearsome _Aegis_ that actually sent shivers down Piper's spine before she caught herself and re-composed her posture.

Thalia resumed her track, more slowly this time, her eyes scanning her surroundings while Jason and Piper stayed on her heels, searching for the lycanthropes equally carefully. A branch snapped behind them sharply, causing all three demigods to turn instantly.

Thalia raised a hand to summon a bolt of lightning, but Piper had beat her to it. The daughter of Venus moved without hesitation, her body acting instinctively from years of training, and hurled her blade at the source of the sound. The silver blade tore through the forest air and sunk itself into its target with dead accuracy.

A bulky figure fell from the tree with a pained scream. The three demigods rushed to the lycanthrope immediately, Jason raised his hand, ready to strike him down with a deadly bolt of lightning while Thalia's spear had sprung to life. Piper approached the lycanthrope first and ripped the blade out of his dying body.

"How many of you are there?" Thalia demanded, "Where is Lycaon? And where is the rest of your pack."

"Full of questions, aren't you?" The lycanthrope laughed, before coughing up blood from his mouth. His voice was older than Thalia had expected, more aged than most lycanthropes she had encountered during her time in the hunt.

"Answer her!" Jason snapped.

"If you want," The lycanthrope snorted, before coughing more blood from his throat, his voice stranded, "But as soon as I told you, you are going to wish I hadn't."

"I don't have time for your games," Thalia demanded again, "Tell me now."

The lycanthrope laughed, "Look at yourself, daughter of Zeus, a ruthless huntress, that's why you hunters are always much more fun than demigods. You thrive for blood, you take immense pleasure from every life you take, monster or man. I am abandoned by my master just as you are abandoned by your Gods, Thalia Grace. You will never leave this place, none of you will. This is a wasteland, a cursed land not even the Gods dare to enter. One by one, all of you will die, knowing you have failed to save your precious Olympus. Lycaon is slaughtering your friends as we speak, Perseus Jackson had no idea what he is walking into and there is nothing you can do to save him."

"What do you mean?" Piper spoke up, "Where are we?"

"It was only days ago when I entered this place," Said the lycanthrope, "and yet it feels like years have passed. Make no mistake, you will die, and your friends will follow in Alaska. Terra will raze your home to the ground, it doesn't matter what you do, nothing will change that."

"It's too late for me now," The lycanthrope spoke as the demigods gasped, black ichor was pouring from the wound, "Just as it's too late for you."

Slowly, the lycanthrope's figure literally melted away as he cried out in pain, black acid eroding his body. Within seconds, the lycanthrope was gone, all traces of his existence wiped out as if he was never there.

The demigods, still shaken, exchanged worrying glances with each other.

"So what now?"

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 5 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1530 hrs, The Dungeon, Amazons Headquarters, Seattle, Washington, United States - Zoë Nightshade**

The Amazons tossed Percy into the cell roughly, and their handling of Zoë was by no means, gentle, either, even though she was risking bleeding to death of only minutes ago. Zoë was grateful that Otrera at least had the decency to give her enough Ambrosia and Nectar to heal her wound, but the ex-huntress wasn't stupid enough to think the Amazon Queen did it out of the goodness of her heart, rather, the fact that Gaea wanted her alive.

Percy groaned, his eyes opening slowly. Zoë shot him a sympathetic look, a headache was, no doubt, forming after all the times the mortals hit Percy in the back of his head. The mortals had handcuffed them again, before leaving them in the dungeon. Zoë didn't remember they had one the last time she visited.

"Are you okay?" Zoë asked Percy good-heartedly.

Percy gave her a sulky nod in response, before his eyes widened, "Your wound…" The Son of Vesta started, but Zoë waved her off, well, she couldn't exactly do that since her hands were cuffed behind her.

"Don't worry about me," Said Zoë, "They fed me some Ambrosia, I'll live."

Zoë only noticed there was someone else in the room then. She had long black hair and dark eyes, somehow reminding Zoë of Reyna. The girl looked not much older that Percy, with a lean and athletic figure though her clothes were ragged and her hair was tangled, and she looked like she hadn't taken a shower in weeks.

"Who are you?" Zoë asked.

The girl's eyes landed on her, before turning to Percy. The instant she got a good look at Percy's face, recognition sparked in her eyes.

"Percy Jackson." The girl spat, "Fancy seeing you here."

Zoë looked at Percy for an explanation, but it was clear that the son of Vesta was just as clueless as she was.

"Do you know me?" Said Percy in surprise.

"Of course I know you," The girl snorted, resentment burning in her dark orbs, "It's hard to forget the face of the person who destroyed your home."

Percy blinked in confusion.

"You don't even remember," The girl laughed humorlessly, "Of course you don't, you are a hero, aren't you? But I do, I remember you, Percy Jackson. I remember seeing you that day, when you came to my home, before you ruined it. My name is Hylla, does that ring any bell?"

Percy frowned in concentration, staring at the girl face so hard Zoë thought his eyeballs might actually pop out when his eyes suddenly widened in realization. "It was Circe's island. You worked for Circe!"

"Finally remembering now," The girl glared at him in a not-so-friendly way, her tone equally harsh and sharp, "You and some girl named Annabeth freed those- those _pigs._ My sister and I had to flee our home all because of you!"

"Well I'm sorry but your mistress turned me into a fucking guinea pig!" Percy snapped, a fire of fury burning in his normally warm flaming orange eyes.

An uncomfortable silence descended over them. Zoë knew Hylla's hostility wasn't the real reason Percy lost his temper, it was the mention of Annabeth's name that had set him off edge. Percy and Hylla were glaring daggers at each other, neither of them willing to back down. The tension between them was so thick that Zoë swore she could cut it with her hunting knife, if only she had the blade with her, dam it. Wait…

"Percy!" Zoë called out, snapping both him and Hylla out of their glaring contest, " _Anaklusmos!_ Use it!"

Percy's eyes seemed to widen in realization, Zoë knew him well enough to be able to tell that he was tempted to smack himself in the head for not realizing it sooner. So much for Athena's blessing…

The Son of Vesta tried to reach for _Anaklusmos,_ which would have long returned to his pocket, but he couldn't quite reach it.

"My right pocket," Percy turned to Hylla, albeit grudgingly, "Could you reach for it?"

Hylla shot him a strange look, but moved to him and did as he asked anyways. Thankfully Otrera didn't bother bounding Hylla's hands like she did Percy and Zoë. The former Amazon Queen reached into Percy's jeans pocket and pulled out _Anaklusmos'_ pen form.

"Oh great," Exclaimed Hylla sarcastically, "So this is your grand plan huh? Getting us out of here with a pen, some genius you are. Did your buddy James Bond lend you his exploding pen?"

"Uncap it," Percy replied, rolling his eyes.

Hylla still had a disdainful look on her face, but did what she was told and removed the pen's cap. She gasped when it extended into a gleaming three-foot long Celestial Bronze blade.

"Are you done looking at my sword so _lovingly?"_ Percy said, showing Hylla, who was still staring at the shimmering Celestial Bronze blade his cuffed hands, earning an eye-roll from Zoë, "Because we could use a little help here, or do you want us to leave you two alone to it?"

Hylla snapped out of her trance and moved to cut the cuffs off Zoë with a swift swing, before giving Percy a look that told Zoë she was _very_ tempted to leave him as he was, before sighing in defeat and cutting him free as well.

"Finally." Percy grinned, taking _Anaklusmos_ from Hylla, "Let's get out of here, unless you've grown fond of this place. I wouldn't blame you really, this place is _lovely."_

"Good to know you find our Amazon hospitality satisfying. I've tried everything your brain could and could not think of, which I imagine is a lot of things," Hylla said with a snort, while Zoë rolled her eyes at the pair again, "We can't get out of this place."

"Oh I'm sure you did," Came Percy's sarcastic reply, "But did you forget I have a three-foot Celestial Bronze sword?"

"You are not hearing me," Hylla shook her head, "The bars are made of reinforced Imperial Gold, not some mortal steel. You won't be able to cut your way out of here with Celestial Bronze. Unless you've got an actual exploding pen in that pocket of yours."

"Sure just let me get my jar of Greek Fire then we can blow a hole on those ugly bars," Percy said sarcastically.

"You are not helping." Zoë long gave up counting how many times she rolled her eyes at Percy.

"You said you have a sister," Zoë turned to Hylla, "Is she here? Can she help us?"

"Good luck with that," Hylla shook her head, "She's one of the Praetors at Camp Jupiter."

Percy and Zoë exchanged a glance that didn't go unnoticed by Hylla.

"Wait, do _you_ guys know her."

"Yes," Zoë replied, it was all making sense now, "That's actually where we came from. We are on a quest for Olympus to free Thanatos in Alaska."

"My poor sister," Hylla shook her head, "You already know, don't you? She'd rather die than betraying her friends, but Terra's goons threatened her with me. I was the Amazon Queen, but Terra brought Otrera back so she could challenge me and take over the Amazon army for Terra's biddings. There were days I wished I were would just die and be done with it."

"We still need a way out," Percy sounded serious for the first time since the conversation began, "You were the Queen, do you know if there is a way to escape?"

"Like I said," Hylla shrugged, "I've already tried everything I could think of, which is pretty much everything. Even if you could get us out of this cell, Otrera posted a dozen warriors to guard the dungeon. The second you set a foot out of this cell, a dozen arrows will cut you down."

"Sounds fun." Percy grumbled, the Blessing of Achilles made him bullet- err arrow-proof, but it wouldn't do him any good if he was stuck behind the bars. "Do you have a plan?"

"Well, there is no way to get out of this cell," Hylla shrugged, "So why bother? The only reason you are still alive is because Terra needs you. Sooner or later she is going to send one of her minions to take you for whatever diabolical plan of hers. They don't know you have your sword with you, so I'd say that's our best chance. Jump on them, kill anyone you see, take their weapons and make a run for it."

"We don't have time for that," Zoë cut in, "The Feast of Fortuna is only five days away, and if Thanatos isn't freed by then, Polybotes' army will lay ruins to New Rome. Zeus knows how long we will be here for."

"So waiting is not an option then," Hylla growled, "Damn it, I'm out of ideas."

"What about the keys?" Zoë asked, "Do you know who would have the keys?"

"Otrera keeps the only set of keys on her at all time," Hylla said, "One paranoid bitch she is."

"Are there Amazons still loyal to you?" Percy jumped in.

"My lieutenant Kinzie," Hylla said after a brief pause, "We can trust her."

"Do you think she can set us free?" Asked Percy.

"I guess," Hylla said thoughtfully, but not fully convinced, "She's a skilled fighter, and a sneaky one. She has access to Otrera, I guess it's possible that she can steal the keys, but she'll need to somehow get past a dozen trained guards, open this door and let us out, all without the guards noticing, and return the keys to Otrera before she notices they are gone."

"I'm not a hunter," Percy said, looking at Zoë, "So stealth isn't really my style. How about you tell her to gather every person she could find still loyal to you, grab the keys, knock the guards out and get us out of here, or fight our way out of here. Be discrete, of course."

"You plan will probably get us all killed," Hylla said, looking at Percy pointedly before sighing, "But it's better than waiting for them to come and butcher us like pigs. I'm in, as long as we can find a way to get the word to her."

"I only need a rainbow and a lot of luck." Percy grinned.

"Let's get the show started then." Hylla grinned back.

* * *

 **June 19th 2011 - 4 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1045 hrs, Crawford, Nebraska, United States - Leo Valdez**

Leo swore that girl hated her. She was scary, with a tall and lean figure, and eyes sharper than Piper's dagger. Something told Leo he did _not_ want to be on her bad side, so Leo decided to get as far away from her as possible, but like Percy always said, life is a bitch.

"Boy!" The girl shouted, marching up to Leo, glaring at him heatedly. Leo had to resist the urge to cower away.

"Yes?" Leo asked, his voice slightly shaking.

"Don't just walk around and do nothing," The girl snapped at her, "If you are gonna be here, at least make yourself useful."

"That was the plan…" Leo muttered under his breathe.

"What was that boy?" The girl demanded sharply, almost making Leo flinch.

"Nothing." Leo denied vehemently, earning a satisfied nod from the girl before she turned her heels around. Leo led out a small sigh of relief before the girl's sharp voice came at him again.

"Well?" The girl said, glaring at Leo. The son of Vulcan realized the girl meant for him to follow her, gulped, and did as he was told.

"Who's your Godly parent?" The girl asked as they walked.

"Vulcan." Leo replied quickly, not wanting to set off the girl. Gods, what has he done to deserve this?

"At least you can build things."

 _And take them apart._ Leo thought, but didn't dare to add.

"Who's yours?" Leo asked before he could stop himself. The girl gave him a look that instantly made him regret it. He was about to apologize and tell her to forget about it when she replied him.

"Hecate." The girl replied curtly. Leo knew some Mars girls from the Legion, but damn, none of them were even half as scary as her.

"I'm Leo by the way," Leo offered, feeling extra daring, "What's yours?"

The girl sent another look Leo's way that made him think maybe he'd crossed a line of some sort, before the girl replied curtly, "Naomi."

"Well Naomi," Said Leo, "What do you want me to do around here?"

"We will probably have a battle at our hands," Naomi said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "So reinforce our defense or something, I don't know, I'm not a smith. None of our weapons can kill the monsters for more than a few seconds now, maybe you can work on something like that?"

"I can build a catapult," Leo led out a sigh of relief when he realized the girl wasn't leading him to a dark corner to have him murdered and fed to her wolf, not that the hunters would have protested if she did it in broad daylight, "If you have silver weapons you can spare, I can melt them and coat a layer of silver around shells so when they explode, werewolves in range would be soaked in silver. It's not ideal but it's more effective than any weapon we have."

"It is," Said Naomi, looking impressed, which Leo didn't think possible, "Talk to Phoebe, she can give you the things you'd need. Let's check the perimeter first, can you build a sensor that would alarm us if werewolves are nearby?"

"Possibly," Leo confirmed, "I built a radar on Argo II that functions similarly. A much smaller one would be enough for us here, so I can build it quickly if you can give me the right materials."

"I know a few tricks with magic that can help you," Naomi said, "With the catapult and sensor I mean, I can boost the signal that allows monsters to be tracked."

"A hunter and a male working together," Leo grinned, "man, who would have thought?"

"You aren't too bad Valdez." Said Naomi playfully, a small smile tugging on the corners of her lips despite her effort to keep her face straight.

It was the first and the last time Leo ever saw Naomi smile.

* * *

 _"The demigods ran into the woods," A lycanthrope reported, "The hunters were already there, it looks like Jackson's plot to meet the two parties worked after all."_

 _"It would seem," Lycaon nodded, "The reason Jackson wants this to happen is foreign to me, but it doesn't matter now."_

 _"If we strike now," Said the same lycanthrope, "They will be wiped out before they know what hit them."_

 _"No," Lycaon shook his head, "We will not do such thing."_

 _"But this is our chance!" The lycanthrope protested, "There are five hundred of us and only thirty of them! Artemis and her hunters almost drove us to extinction centuries ago. We lycanthropes are proud people, and we are forced to live in the shadows because of them. They are unprepared and without their goddess, so what are we waiting for?"_

 _"The Mother Earth has told me of this place," Lycaon replied, "She called it the cursed land. I don't know what it means. All I know is, nobody who has ever gone into those forests has ever come back out. These demigods and hunters are already dead. We march to Alaska, the Mother Earth is hosting a surprise party for Percy Jackson and his friends, and it would be rude of us to be late."_

 _The lycanthrope nodded, and left to deliver the word to the packs, but Lycaon stopped him._

 _"One more thing." Lycaon said, causing the lycanthrope to stop in confusion._

 _The lycanthrope led out a strained gasp as Lycaon picked him up by the throat, struggling to breathe._

 _"I don't like being questioned." Said Lycaon coldly before his fingers tore into the other lycanthrope's neck and crushed his larynx._

* * *

 **Guest: Percy is on a quest with Zoë and Hazel, their mission is to travel to Alaska and free Thanatos. Jason, Leo, and Piper are searching for Juno so they can rescue her to stop Porphyrion from resurrecting.**

 **AN: To make it up to you guys for being AWOL for so long, this is the longest chapter by far and I'll try to update soon.**


	10. Chapter Nine: Nowhere To Go

Chapter Nine: Nowhere To Go

* * *

 **Warning: Contains disturbing content**

* * *

 **June 19th 2011 - 4 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1045 hrs, Crawford, Nebraska, United States - Leo Valdez**

It was only when it ended that Leo realized what it was - hell on earth.

It was confusing at first. One second he was talking to Naomi in the middle of the hunters' camp, waiting for Jason to return, and the next, the world around them was gone.

"What is this?" Naomi blinked in confusion, her eyes scanning her surroundings furiously, a motion mirrored by all her fellow hunters.

They have found themselves in a house. It was old, the walls were darkened with age, and the wooden floor made sharp noises whenever someone moved. There was a set of stairs, dark with the absence of light, leading to the next level. Leo and Naomi were in a living room of some sort, along with a handful other hunters. There were noises coming from the dining hall and the kitchen, so Leo knew some hunters had winded up there.

A loud gasp came from one of the bedrooms on ground level. Leo and Naomi exchanged an uneasy look, before moving into the room. Two hunters were inside the bedroom, one was Phoebe, the other Leo remembered as Celyn. Celyn's hands were covering her mouth, clearly shocked, her eyes wide in horror. Phoebe, while appearing equally as shocked as Celyn was, was trying to comfort the other girl.

"I-It's not possible!" Celyn gasped, tears forming in her eyes, "This can't be real!"

The room was plain with the lack of color. Only a few simple pieces of furniture confirmed it was habited.

"What's this place?" Leo asked, only earning a glare from Phoebe, "Where are we?"

"I-I…" Celyn started, but ended up sobbing. Tears were streaming down her cheeks freely now, her voice was shaken and her eyes, Leo will never forget the look in Celyn's eyes. Her eyes were filled with utter, raw terror, nothing more, nothing less.

"Celyn, listen, this isn't real." Phoebe tried to comfort Celyn, but it didn't look like she was hearing her. A loud scream came from above, causing every pair of eyes to snap to the source of the sound. Another haunting scream came, filled with fear.

"NO!" Celyn screamed, "NO!"

"Fuck," Phoebe swore under her breath, a look of alarm crossing her features. She grabbed Celyn's shoulders and forcing the girl to look at her, "Look at me. Damn it, look at me! This isn't real, okay? This is only an illusion. He can't hurt you anymore, you are with us."

But Celyn still wasn't listening. Her eyes were no longer focused, her face had an unreal look on it that Leo couldn't name. It felt like finding yourself being thrown into your personal horror movie.

Celyn screamed and bolted up. Her movement was so abrupt that Phoebe was too surprised to register the fact that she had struggled free of her grip. Without a word, she ran out of the room, the wooden floor screeched sharply.

Quickly, Phoebe followed her sister out of the room. A moment later, Leo and the rest of the hunters joined them. Celyn and Phoebe had moved so quickly that Leo only caught a glimpse of Phoebe's figure jolting onto the staircase. A strained, muffled scream was heard, followed by one of Celyn's own.

Leo rushed upstairs, following the screams. He pushed through a door leading to another bedroom, and he understood instantly why Celyn was screaming, and why Phoebe, despite her best efforts, was hopelessly failing to calm the girl down.

There was a young girl. She couldn't have been that much younger than Leo himself, and she looked utterly terrified. Terror was in her eyes as if she had been cursed by Metus with all his might. Tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably. She was screaming, crying and shrieking all at once, Leo would have found it funny that a person was capable of doing all these three things at once if he wasn't witnessing what he was.

Like all fairy tales, there was a villain - a man. He looked ferocious, his eyes were maniacally gleeful. And unlike those fairy tales children loved so much, there was no knight in shining armor to rescue the damsel in distress. There was a crazy expression on the man's face, added by the smell of alcohol so vilely strong that Leo could smell it all the way from downstairs.

The man was laughing, and not in a gentle way. His handling was rough as he grabbed the girl's hands, immobilizing her. A wave of nausea washed over Leo's stomach when he realized what was about happen, and judging by the mixed look of horror and loathing he'd say Naomi had a pretty good idea herself.

The girl never stopped screaming. She was struggling and hopelessly so, it was obvious to Leo as the man laughed again and forced his large figure upon her, pressing her body onto the bed with no escape and pinning her legs under his knees tightly.

She led out a heart-piercing cry, her face shooting up desperately, but the man shoved it down roughly. That's when Leo got a good look at the girl's face, and he understood the sickly pale color of Celyn's face, the desperation in Phoebe's eyes and the rage as Celyn's hands shook.

The girl was Celyn.

The man held up a piece of rope, grabbed Celyn's hands and began tying them to the bedposts. A sudden urge of stopping the man and protecting the girl took over Leo's mind. He began to move but found himself unable to. Every muscle in his body was frozen. Leo couldn't move, he struggled against this invisible force, whatever unholy power binding him in his place but no avail. The son of Vulcan briefly recalled how Percy described his battle with Saturn in the throne room of Olympus. The Titan Lord's time spell that had frozen him in time, immobilizing him while Saturn tried to slaughter his friends. Whatever this force was, that had trapped them in this unknown dimension and thought to force them to watch a barbaric act in a twisted manner, was an entirely different kind of magic.

Celyn was crying and pleading, but the man only laughed cruelly as he proceeded to tie her hand. She struggled to set herself free, but the ropes were too thick for her delicate wrists. The girl cried as the man went to tie her feet with another piece of rope. She tried to kick him, earning herself only another monstrous laughter from the man as he subdued her with ease and immobilized her legs as well.

She could no longer struggle now. An entirely different animalistic look crossed the man's face, one of pure lust and desire. He laughed as he ripped the girl's nightgown apart with ease, his hungry eyes taking into her creamy skin. He never once stopped laughing as he tore off the girl's undergarments, ridding her of her last shred of dignity. He eyed the exposed flesh of her breasts lustfully, his hands slipping up the girl's bare thighs as the girl cried.

She cried and pleaded for the man to stop, but he didn't. She cried and pleaded for help, but none came.

Leo was forced to watch as the man forced himself on the girl without much care, blood bleeding from the man's forceful entry. Leo was forced to do nothing but watched as the man committed a savage atrocity repeatedly. They were forced to endure hours of the man's loathsome groans and the girl's silent cries.

And when it was over, the world around them shattered. Celyn's eyes were empty and unseeing as the man and her past-self faded away, she was unresponsive even as her own body melted to a pool of black acid, ignorant of Phoebe's strained cries for help as she died along with the world around them.

They were back to their hastily-made camp and there wasn't a single trace of Celyn's existence left.

Leo was shocked, his body still frozen in place. He didn't hear Phoebe's pained sobbing or Naomi's outraged screams, nor did he see Thalia returning with Jason and Piper, looking as if they'd seen a ghost.

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 5 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1630 hrs, Seattle, Washington, United States - Hazel Levesque**

Hazel knew she probably shouldn't have done it, but in her defense, it was just too tempting to resist. Besides if she hadn't, Hazel would probably have ended up with a dozen arrows in her chest before she could make it to the front door.

He was the most beautiful horse Hazel had ever seen in her entire life. Lives, she should say. He was not winged like Percy's pegasi, not majestic and powerful none the less. The power that was radiating from him was so intense that Hazel literally sensed it a mile away.

The Amazon headquarters was a maze and the fact that she was blindfolded when they dragged her in didn't help at all. It was strange as if the horse was calling out to her. Hazel knew how absurd it sounded, but it was the only explanation given that she didn't just find her away and stumble upon the horse by pure coincidence.

Luck was a luxury foreign to children of Pluto. There was a long time that Hazel thought she was a walking curse, and sometimes she still thought that true. The poor creature was caged, his fierce brown eyes regarding Hazel impatiently as if saying it was about damn time she got there.

Hazel had caught two Amazons by surprise and put them down with relative ease. They didn't expect her to put up much of a fight, but rather handing herself over to be put to sword willingly. She'd snatched a weapon off one of the Amazons. They were only unconscious, since killing someone with your bare hands was really not as easy as some made it to be. As a daughter of Pluto, Hazel could sense their life forces still tied to their bodies.

The Imperial Gold spear wasn't as comfortable as her _Spatha,_ but it was better than nothing. The Amazons were closely behind her, and yet she magically stopped in front of the cage, being pulled to him by an unexplainable force. She busted the lock open with the butt of her spear and freed the horse. Hazel could swear it was the same horse she chased in Alaska during her first lifetime. At first, she thought it absurd, then again so was the notion that Gods of Roman mythology were real, and she was the daughter of one.

The horse led out what could only be described as a triumphant roar before Hazel jumped onto his back, something strange in the back of her mind telling her she could trust the creature. The horse took off running, moving even faster than Peleus and Hazel had to hold onto him for her dear life.

It was apparent that the horse knew his way around the Amazon headquarters, before less than a minute later, she was free, leaving the Amazons behind in the sky of Seattle. Hazel briefly wondered about Percy and Zoë, then decided if anyone could either charm their way out of there or fight, it would be the pair of them. Though knowing her friends, they'd probably end up cutting down every Amazon in their way until they were free.

Hazel would have loved to ride all the way to Alaska, but the idea of returning to that place alone wasn't very much appealing. Besides, she knew the Amazons had either bribed or manipulated the mortal police into believing she and her friends were dangerous terrorists responsible for an attack on American soil. Hazel had no doubt every pair of eyes on the planet was looking for her, thanks to Otrera and her mortal buddies.

Hazel knew that the mortals had radars, and while it was possible that the magical horse she was riding would be invisible to mortal radars, who was to say that the Amazons didn't have magical radars of their own built? She couldn't afford to take that chance, and knowing how ruthlessly the mortals worked from Percy's description of his third quest if air passage was being monitored closely, she best not risk it.

So, with much regret, Hazel hopped off the horse, told him she'd find a way to let him know if she needed him, and spent the next hour trying to figure out how she was supposed to get out of Seattle with police filling the streets and helicopters flying in the sky, looking for her.

That being said, when a SWAT truck pulled over in front of her, Hazel knew she was in trouble.

The backdoor swung open and half a dozen mortal policemen armed to the teeth jumped off. Hazel took off running, turning around the corner of the block as heavy footsteps followed. She halted sharply, concealing her body from the view of her pursuers with the red brick wall. Hazel raised her spear just as the first of the mortal cops caught up to her. She jabbed the butt of her spear onto the face of the unsuspected mortal, before swinging it around and sweeping the second off his feet.

Hazel barely had the time to bend down and pick up a gun when bullets started flying. She swore under her breath, took cover behind the wall and started running again. She barged into a house, fired her gun at the front porch and made for the back door, apologizing to the family she'd threatened on the way.

The back door was kicked open, revealing a cop waiting for her with his rifle. Not pausing, Hazel body-slammed the cop, catching him by surprise and sending both of them flying onto the street. Hazel raised her fist and delivered a strong blow to the mortal's jaw before jumping back on her feet and taking off running once again.

This time, she found an apartment building. Another armored SWAT truck stopped in front of her, with her pursuers still behind her, Hazel took a left turn and smashed open the apartment door with her spear. Hazel wasted no time and flung herself onto the stairs. She cocked her gun and fired at the gap between the staircase, pinning down her pursuers as the mortal police scrambled for cover.

She didn't stop until the clip was empty. Hazel dropped the gun, took note of the level she was on and made for the apartments. She found an unlocked door and entered the apartment, it was empty. Loud noises of helicopter propellers came from the balcony, so she ran onto the balcony and popped her head out, praying to Pluto there weren't any snipers around.

Hazel saw half a dozen more SWAT officers dropping from the helicopter onto the roof of the apartment building she found herself in. Quickly, Hazel went back into the apartment and made for the kitchen. She picked up a very sharp-looking knife from the kitchen just as heavy footsteps of armed police came from the hallway outside the apartment, banging at doors and ordering inhabitants to clear their homes.

Hazel calculated she had very little time left, and dropped to a knee, hiding from the view just as knocks came from the other side of the door. A few seconds later, when it became clear that nobody was going to answer, the door was kicked down. Two SWAT officers barged in, their rifles raised. The pair of mortals exchanged a quick look before one of them made for the narrow hallway leading to the bedrooms while the other made straight for the kitchen.

A plan quickly formed in her mind. Hazel waited until the unsuspected mortal was only inches away. She sprung into action, elbowing the mortal in the stomach. The man went down, having the wind knocked out of him. He struggled to get up, but Hazel grabbed him by the back of his head and slammed it onto the hard kitchen counter, knocking him out cold.

The commotion in the kitchen made had made a lot of noise because a few seconds later, the other cop came rushing from the empty hallway, his eyes searching behind the scope of his rifle. Hazel picked up the knife and hurled it with dead accuracy. The knife landed on the mortal's neck and he went down not a second later.

A small tug of guilt was present in the back of Hazel's mind as life existed the mortal but she had little time for that. It was either him or she and Hazel had no plan to be executed by Terra's minions. She moved to the living room just as two more SWATs stormed into the apartment. Her instincts took over as Hazel struck the first mortal in the leg with her spear, but the second had already moved to flank her.

Hazel's spear clattered to the ground as the mortal slammed her against the wall, her arms twisted behind her as the mortal grabbed her hands to cuff them, an unpleasant sense of déjà vu washed over her as scenes from the café flashed in her mind.

"Hazel Levesque you are under arrest f-" the mortal began, but Hazel head-butted him while he was busy reaching for handcuffs. The mortal stumbled away with a loud curse while Hazel picked up his dropped rifle and drove the butt of the gun onto his face.

More footsteps could be heard outside the apartment as Hazel led out a heavy sigh. She quickly moved to the balcony, preparing to execute her escape plan. She saw a police cruiser pulling over by the apartment building and knew it was her chance.

Hazel tried to calm her raging mind, telling herself she had done crazier things in her life, but it was making her feel any better. Sending a silent prayer to her father, Hazel leaped off the balcony just as more mortal policemen stormed into the apartment.

After possibly the longest few seconds of her life, Hazel's back landed on top of the police cruiser painfully. Knocked off her breath, Hazel rolled herself off the car hood, groaning as she did. It was then when she realized there were two mortal policemen sitting in the car, staring at her wide-eyed through the windshield.

"Well hello there," Hazel groaned, her back aching. Thanks to the godly blood in her veins, Hazel was still in once piece after jumping off a balcony on the eleventh floor, but her body sure felt otherwise.

Almost as if a cue, both mortals started moving. They opened the car doors and reached for their guns. Hazel's body screamed in protest as she leaped, driving her fist onto the first mortal cop's face. The mortal dropped in a thud while Hazel sprung her body around, using the car door as a lever and throwing her body off the ground, performing a flip mid-air and landing behind the second mortal. In a swift motion, Hazel smashed his face onto the car hood.

Cracking her bones with a loud curse, Hazel swung herself onto the driver's seat. She was surprised when the engines started, but no complaints.

Hazel drove the cruiser off just as more police vehicles surrounded the apartment building, thanking Pluto her insane grand escape plan worked. It would certainly be something to brag about to her friends when all this was over.

Just when Hazel thought she'd gotten away, a bullet whipped past her and landed on the windshield. Trying to calm her once again raging mind, Hazel glimpsed into the rear mirror and caught sight of a cruiser trailing behind her, one of the windows rolled down with the point of a gun aimed at her.

Hazel's attention was caught by her new pursuer that she forgot about the most basic rule of driving - always keep your eyes on the road. Her cruiser rammed into an armored SWAT truck.

Hazel's world was spinning. She struggled to keep her eyes open, only to see more armed police approaching her car. Hazel dove for cover just in time as automatic rifles started firing, the mortals were more than a little trigger-happy - the work of Otrera no doubt.

The mortal police had her car surrounded, their guns ablaze. Hazel tried to reach for her rifle a few feet away from her, but a bullet whipped past her, leaving a bruise on her arm. Hazel cursed and was forced to stay hidden.

A deafening silence descended when the mortals stopped firing a full minute later, probably out of ammo. Either way, Hazel spotted her opportunity to get away when a mortal policeman approached her car with slow, cautious steps.

The mortal policeman stopped short of Hazel's cruiser, his eyes looking into the shattered window when Hazel lunged at him. The daughter of Pluto grabbed the barrel of his rifle and shoved the butt of his weapon at the mortal, breaking his nose effectively. She swung the unconscious body around and pulled the trigger of his rifle before the rest of his unit could fire again.

The mortals scrambled for cover as the rifle blazed into life. Shots were fired from her back and Hazel ducked her head low. She snatched the mortal's sidearm from his holster, spun around and fired. Kicking the door open while the narrow window was not yet closed to her, Hazel grabbed her rifle and jumped off her cruiser. The SWATs resumed their assault and Hazel was forced to use her car as cover.

Two more mortal cops were in front of her, using their cruiser for cover. Hazel cocked her rifle and was about to fire when the two mortals collapsed, revealing a man behind them. He was maybe twenty years old and a full foot taller than her. He had very handsome features, a muscular figure, short black hair and his eyes were light brown, more intriguing than any other pair of eyes Hazel had ever seen. He wore a black suit and dark blue eyes with a white shirt underneath. A pistol was held in his right hand, the muzzle of his gun was smoking.

"Come on then!" He shouted at her, a slight accent in his voice, his head tilting at the black car behind him, "Get in the car if you want to live!"

Not certain of what was going on but equally uncertain of any realistic alternative that didn't involve getting her killed, Hazel did as she was told and threw herself into the car.

* * *

 **June 18th 2011 - 5 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1730 hrs, Amazon Headquarters - Seattle, Washington, United States - Hylla Ramírez-Arellano**

"Do you have any idea what you are asking me of?" Hylla's lieutenant, Kinzie, questioned incredulously from the other side of the Iris Message.

"Please Kinzie," Hylla pleaded, "You know I would never ask you to take such a risk if there was another way."

Zoë decided to jump in when Kinzie still didn't look totally convinced.

"Kinzie," the ex-huntress interjected, "I know it's a lot to ask, but every second we spend arguing is another second for Terra to build-up her strength. An army is marching on New Rome and in five days, the Romans will be wiped out with the strength of the Amazons behind her. If you don't do this, then we truly stand no chance in winning this war."

"Fine," Kinzie said, biting her bottom lip, "We will make our move, tonight, be ready."

"We will be," Hylla nodded, "Thank you."

* * *

 _"That was close," Hazel led out a sigh in relief as the car steered away. She turned and looked at her rescuer, "Who are you?"_

 _"Name's John Smith darling," He flashed a bright smile at her charmingly._

 _"I'm Hazel," Hazel offered._

 _"I know that sweetheart," Replied John with a smirk, "The entire country knows who you are Hazel Levesque. You and your friends are on top of the FBI's most wanted list for domestic terrorism charges."_

 _"Then why are you helping me?" Hazel raised an eyebrow at John._

 _"Us Romans got to stick together," He grinned at her, "Besides, the moment cops dragged you into the Amazons HQ, I knew something was up."_

 _"You are a Roman?" Hazel wasn't actually all that surprised since she didn't think anyone else would help her, "How come I never seen you at New Rome."_

 _"I finished my enlistment a few years ago," John explained smoothly, "I didn't want to be stuck at Camp Jupiter forever, so I thought I'd take my chances in the mortal world. I'm a federal agent, turns out what the legion teaches you do come in handy at job interviews."_

 _"How did you know I'm a Roman?" Hazel's eyebrows furrowed._

 _"You can thank Praetor Reyna for that, she contacted me a few days earlier, told me about your quest and asked me to offer my help to you and your friends if you run into any trouble," John grinned dazzlingly, "Besides I just can't resist it when I see a pretty girl."_

 _For some strange reason, Hazel found herself returning that grin._

* * *

 **AN: Now that's done with, Percy and Zoë will finally be getting out of the Amazon dungeon next chapter. Hazel and John will be having some fun on their way to Alaska and the place Jason, Leo, Piper and the hunters have found themselves in will be explained in the next chapter.**


	11. Chapter Ten: Nowhere To Hide

Chapter Ten: Nowhere To Hide

 **June 19th 2011 - 4 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 0200 hrs, Amazon Headquarters - Seattle, Washington, United States - Percy Jackson**

It was dead silent in the middle of the night.

Percy glanced outside the cell and saw only one guard standing in the dark hallway, lit up by the faint flames of a handful of torches.

The sole guard was leaning on the wall, her eyes closed as if sleeping. The rest of the guards would be staying in the guardhouse a few meters away, right outside the dungeon's only exit.

The silence of the night was shattered by the whipping sound of arrows piercing through the air, burying themselves into the unsuspecting Amazon guards. Arrow after arrow struck soundlessly, killing the guards in their sleep. A guard's eyes snapped open, an arrow plunging into her beating heart as she reached for a spear.

None of the guards wore their body armor, their weapons discarded on the ground as they wandered in the land of Hypnos, and they never returned.

Percy uncapped _Anaklusmos,_ the legendary Celestial Bronze blade shimmered a vivid glint that lit up the dark cell.

"It's time," He whispered.

Zoë and Hylla wordlessly stood behind Percy, their eyes staring outside the cell, hoping to catch a glimpse of their rescuers. They were not disappointed.

Kinzie approached the cell from across the dark hallway, her facial expression visibly tense. She held an Imperial Gold spear in one hand and removed a torch from the dark walls with her spare hand. The faint flames of torches beamed onto Percy's face, making the demigod to temporarily squeeze him eyes shut, adjusting the sudden brightness after hours of darkness in the dungeon.

Behind him, Hylla led out a loud sigh of relief.

"It's good to see you again," Kinzie smiled at the former Amazon Queen, removing the keys from her belt and screwing open the locked cell door, before her eyes landed on Percy, "Do we have to bring him with us?"

"How are our numbers?" Hylla inquired as she stepped outside the cell, promptly ignoring Kinzie's last question catching the blunt end of a spear from one of the warriors trailing her.

"I only reached out to two dozens warriors I trusted completely," Kinzie said, "Otrera has eyes and ears everywhere."

Hylla nodded at her sternly but gratefully.

"You got one of those for me?" Zoë raised an eyebrow at Kinzie's spear.

"Zoë Nightshade," Kinzie turned to her, "Never thought I'd see you again, though I remember you weren't very impressed with our weapons the last time you were here."

"A good warrior makes do with whatever they have," Zoë replied.

"Hold this, will you?" Kinzie said, thrusting the torch she was holding at Zoë without a reply, then reached for her belt again and pulled out gleaming Celestial Bronze dagger.

"Where did you get this?" Zoë weighed the perfectly balanced dagger with her hands. The dagger looked very familiar, but the huntress couldn't remember where she'd seen it. Percy's eyes narrowed at it for a brief second but quickly looked away.

"You know what they say," Kinzie shrugged, "Weird things wash up at Florida all the time."

"And here," Kinzie turned to Percy, acknowledging the son of Vesta for the first time, "You probably want your things back, I volunteered to 'lock' them away. Baseball cap, necklace, ring, and watch, you carry a lot of toys."

Percy ignored Kinzie's comment and gave Zoë the silver necklace, which was a gift from Artemis that actually turns into a bow by pulling the bow charm. He tugged his baseball cap away, put on his ring and watch, and quickly muttered his thanks to Kinzie. He'd hate to imagine what would happen if all these dangerous items fell into Terra's hands.

"Let's go," Hylla ordered, Percy caught at least a glimpse of the formidable warrior the former Amazon Queen was now that she was replenished with some much-needed Nectar and Ambrosia, and held a weapon between her hands. The Amazons still loyal to Hylla fell into battle formation behind their queen and marched across the narrow hallway quickly. Percy gave the dungeon a last, distasteful glance, while Zoë walked out without turning her head back.

 **June 19th 2011 - 4 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1045 hrs, Crawford, Nebraska, United States - Thalia Grace**

Someone once said all dreams come true. That someone must have forgotten that nightmares are dreams too. Or maybe he didn't, maybe that's what he meant. Your worst nightmares will come true just like your most glorious dreams.

That's how Thalia found herself watching a horror film through a strange, slow motion filter. She was frozen. She could not move, she could not make a sound, she was frozen in time. And it wasn't until Piper had screamed so loudly, that she realized it wasn't a horror film she was watching, it was a horror film she was _living._

It was like Celyn never existed. This place, this cursed land, whatever it is, it wiped her out, it consumed her soul.

A few of her hunters had tears in their eyes as they were comforted by their sisters, while Phoebe, the most senior member of the hunt, just blankly stared at the spot where Celyn stood moments ago, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"It's not possible," Phoebe's numb voice barely came out as a whisper, and Thalia almost missed it.

"What's not possible?" Thalia asked, looking at her lieutenant sharply, "Do you know what just happened?"

Phoebe nodded slowly, fighting back sobs. Judging from her pale expression, it was as if they were already dead.

"During the very first days of the hunt," She began, "Lady Artemis once spoke of a place that even she feared - a purgatory that exists somewhere between different dimensions where time and space cease to have any meaning. She thinks it was created when the Titans destroyed Ouranus, but not even the Gods know for sure."

"What does that even mean?" Piper jumped in while Thalia digested what Phoebe just told her.

"Isn't that obvious?" A grim voice came from behind her, and only the does Thalia remember her brother's presence. Thalia searched her brother's face and found just one thing - despair, utter and complete despair, "It means we are all dead."

"We need to know more," Thalia said, trying to not let her brother's pessimism get to her, "What else has Lady Artemis told you?"

"She wouldn't speak of it any further," Phoebe shook her head, her voice still shaken.

"How the Hades are we getting out of this one?"

 **June 19th 2011 - 5 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 1930 hrs, Seattle, Washington, United States - Hazel Levesque**

"How are we getting out of the city?" Hazel asked glancing across the car at the man behind the steering wheel.

"That's the billion-dollar question, isn't it?" John replied, "Every pair of eyes in the mortal world is looking for you. This whole city is locked down, SWATs and Amazons have set up checkpoints at every exit, the National Guard is patrolling every road, every airfield and every port and uniforms are knocking on every door in the city. In other words, we are trapped."

"There has to be a way to get past their perimeter," Hazel insisted, her chocolate brown eyes stubbornly firm. Her mind drifted back to Percy and Zoë. Her friends fought to give her a chance, and she had to make sure it didn't go wasted. For all she knew, the sadistic Amazon Queen was putting them through horrific tortures in some dark dungeon and she was New Rome's only hope. Gods forbid she fails to free Thanatos in time…

"There is," John confirmed, breaking the daughter of Pluto out of her train of thoughts, "If we can find a safe house, we can stay there and lay low for a few weeks. They can't maintain a manhunt this intense forever, and they second we spot a window, we take it."

"But we can't do that!" Hazel protested, her eyes incredulous but determined as she looked at John, "The world will be laid to ruins if we don't free Thanatos in five days! There has to be another way."

"With those things flying around?" John laughed humorlessly as he pulled the car over, his finger pointing overhead where the sound of a helicopter's propellers could be heard clipping. The playfulness that was always in John's light brown eyes was gone as he turned to look at Hazel. His eyes were cold as ice and beamed a harsh light that gave Hazel a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, "There is only one other way." John said, and he pulled out his com from the inner pocket of his jacket.

"All units come in, this is special agent John Smith, I have Hazel Levesque in custody. Repeat, I have Hazel Levesque in custody."

"What are you…" Hazel was so shocked that the words choked out of her mouth, eyes widened in horror. Her mouth was wide open and barely a few words left it before John suddenly drew his gun and slammed the butt of his weapon directly onto her forehead while the daughter of Pluto was too stunned to react.

"The suspect attacked me! I need backup!" John shouted into the radio before dropping it and connecting his foot with the machine, effectively crushing it.

John raised his gun again, this time the barrel was pointed at Hazel, but the daughter of Pluto had already recovered. Breaking out of her initial shock, Hazel threw herself at John before he could discharge his weapon, catching him off his guard as the back of his head slammed onto the window painfully, cracking the glass with a loud bang.

John swung his arm wildly and pulled the trigger, but Hazel shoved his arm away at the last second, the bullet missing its target as it struck the windshield glass, punching a hole through it and shattering the glass. John fired another shot, the bullet landed much closer to its target this time, only missing Hazel's face by mere inches as the daughter of Pluto's ears rang loudly. Her left cheek stung where the bullet bruised pass her skin, leaving an ugly red bruise visible. Hazel slammed John's hand onto the steering wheel, forcing him to drop his gun. Hazel brought up her fist, sending John a right hook aimed at his jaw, but he dropped his head, dodging the blow. Using the daughter of Pluto's own momentum against her, John grabbed her outstretched arm and twisted it. A sharp snap could be heard as Hazel cried out in pain, and the opportunity didn't go unnoticed by her opponent. His fingers still clutching her forearm, now bent at an unnatural angle, and shoved her broken limb onto her face, sending the back of her head colliding into the windshield painfully.

Taking advantage of his opponent's current state, John lunged at Hazel, wrapping his fingers around her neck tightly before swinging her body across the front row. Hazel's back crashed into the door hard but her instincts took over. Months of intense training took over as the daughter of Pluto mustered whatever strength she had left in her body and brought up her leg with all her might, kicking John hard in his exposed stomach. The force of the kick sent John flying backward while Hazel took the opportunity to swing open the door and stumbled out of the car.

Out of nowhere, a hand pulled Hazel from behind, slamming her head against the door with a loud bang. Blood poured from Hazel's forehead as the daughter of Pluto collapsed, a massive headache exploding behind her skull. Grunting loudly in pain, Hazel managed to roll herself on her back, only to find the pitch-black point of a gun glaring at her. She struggled to get up, but her body finally gave out, completely exhausted from a day of non-stop fighting and running.

Sirens could be heard in a distance as John spoke, his tone flat and emotionless, "I'm sorry Hazel, but the only way for you to escape is death."

Hazel closed her eyes, and John pulled the trigger.

 **June 19th 2011 - 4 days before the Feast of Fortuna, 0205 hrs, Amazon Headquarters - Seattle, Washington, United States - Zoë Nightshade**

"Stay close," Kinzie whispered. Zoë nodded and closed her fingers around the hilt of the dagger rightly as Kinzie made a quick hand gesture, silently instructing her warriors to form diamond tactical formation around the duo, covering every angle around them with their eyes alert and weapons ready. As the Amazons fell into position, Zoë couldn't help but feel a strong sense of dramatic irony. They last time she encountered the Amazons, she was still Artemis' Lieutenant, and she didn't hold the Amazons in a particularly high regard, a feeling that was doubtlessly returned. This time around, the huntress and the Amazons found themselves in need of each other's help as they were both interested in the same goal: preventing Armageddon from happening.

It was dead silent as Hylla's warriors marched dutifully, their trained footsteps betraying no sound. Zoë had no led go of her dagger since Kinzie gave it to her, the huntress held her dagger with so much force that she probably couldn't release her hold even if she tried. Two thousand years of training took over Zoë's body as the huntress' eyes darted around in the darkness rapidly, searching for signs of trouble. Her muscles were tense as they passed yet another empty hallway, her mind screaming that something was not right. The halls were narrow and long, dimly lit by faint flames coming off the torches on the stone walls, providing little visibility and zero room to maneuver if a rain of arrows descended on them without warning. Her dagger was raised subconsciously, be it paranoia or experience, and Zoë held her breath in suspense as they approached the end of the hallway. There was no indication as to what was on the other side of the corner as it was covered by shadows and Zoë's body tensed.

They made the turn.

And nothing happened. Another hallway, dark and narrow, the perfect setting for an ambush.

"That's the last turn," Kinzie whispered, gesturing in front of her, "Go across the hall and we walk out of the front door."

Zoë glanced at her companions, Hylla's body language was as tense as her own, her knuckles white as she clutched onto her spear tightly while Percy's face betrayed no expression, but his right hand was in his pocket, where _Anaklusmos'_ pen form was. Kinzie's words didn't ease the huntress. In fact, it only caused Zoë to tighten her grip on the dagger more, if that's even possible.

 _There's no way they haven't realized that we are gone._

Zoë caught movement at the corner of her eye as sharp metal pierced through the air, accompanied by the familiar sound of an arrow being led loose. Her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to warn Percy, but the arrow already whipped past her. Her hair flew back wildly as she turned, only to see Percy sidestepping the arrow and holding his hand up, snatching the arrow before it could hit its target.

With a twisted grin on her face, Otrera stepped out of the shadows, with scores more Amazon warriors pouring from every corner in waves. The Amazon Queen held a broad Imperial Gold bow in her hand, gleaming ominously in the darkness. She wore typical Amazon battle armor, which was only a thin piece of chest plate made of Imperial Gold by Roman standards. Her red eyes, painted by the blood of her enemies, gleamed triumphantly, the way a predator would at its trapped prey.

"Going somewhere?" Otrera smirked smugly, her blood-red eyes burning in a way that reminded Zoë of Ares, "Rather rude to try to sneak out without telling your host."

Percy wordlessly slipped his spare hand into his pocket, his shoulders fell back slightly and his legs moving apart at a rate too slow for the Amazons to notice. Zoë noticed what he was doing right away, and closed her fingers around her silver necklace.

"Forgive me, your highness," Said Percy sarcastically as he dropped into a deep, mocking bow, "I thank you for your _warm_ hospitality, but my mother is expecting me home."

"No, that won't do," Still smirking, Otrera shook her head at Percy with a pitiful tone in her voice, "I promised the Mother Earth I would deliver you and the huntress bitch, you don't want to make me a liar, do you?"

Before Percy could retort, Otrera moved her line of sight away, her icy eyes landing on Kinzie, who was standing next to Hylla protectively, her spear at hand.

"Isn't it my _loyal_ lieutenant?" Otrera snarled, the disgust in her voice was abundantly clear, "I have you to thank, Jackson, I wasn't sure about where the loyalties of some lied. Now I know."

"You are no queen of mine!" Kinzie spat, holding Otrera's glare with her head high in defiance.

Otrera's eyes narrowed dangerously and her mouth opened to give the kill order. Percy took it as his signal.

"NOW!" He shouted to Zoë, throwing his entire weight into a drastic spin around his left foot, bringing up his right hand in the process and hurling the arrow at Zoë with dead precision. The huntress pulled her necklace with all her might, the silver charm transforming into a beautiful bow radiating a faint glow of moonlight. Zoë leaped, and snatched the arrow mid-air. Using the arrow as a lever, the huntress flipped herself around elegantly and, as her right arm fell down, notched the arrow. Zoë caught Otrera at the edge of her sight. The Amazon Queen was looking right at her. Zoë pulled back the string and led loose the arrow.

The moment Zoë led go of the arrow, she knew it would be a bullseye hit.

With a whipping sound, the arrow pierced through the air at a speed quicker than the human eye could register. A golden blur launched itself at Otrera and she sidestepped at the very last second. The arrow only caught a strand of the Amazon Queen's hair as it swirled through the air. A nameless Amazon dropped to the floor dead as the arrow lodged itself into her throat and Otrera raised her spear.

"Kill them," She ordered coldly, and dark walls of golden arrows came crashing into them from all around. Zoë spared a second to admire the spectacle before hitting the dirt. Dozens of arrows struck a few of Hylla's warriors and they fell down wordlessly.

Drawing back the string of her bow furiously, Zoë pulled out one arrow after another from the quiver strapped onto her back and released them into the sea of Amazons without aiming - there were so many of them that it was impossible to miss, and yet another Amazon would take the place of her fallen comrade not a second later.

Zoë took a look around her. She was quickly running out of arrows, and the Amazons showed no sign of slowing their advance. Most of Hylla's warriors were pinned down, completely exposed to arrows coming from all directions. The handful archers they had were just as hopelessly outnumbered as Zoë. Hylla was ordering her warriors to form a circle with little success. Percy was doing marginally better, his watch had transformed into a circular Celestial Bronze shield with Medusa's face embedded into the surface, thanks to Apollo for working his magic on Athena, but he too, was pinned, shrinking his body into a ball and miraculously covering all of his skin with the hard Celestial Bronze metal. It seemed that not even Medusa's petrifying glare could save them this time.

"We can't stay here!" Percy shouted to Kinzie.

"No shit!" The Amazon snapped.

"Follow me!" Percy shouted back, before taking a deep breathe and retracting his shield.

Percy twisted his ring, and a very familiar-looking blade came into life. Kronos' Scythe gleamed viciously, and time literally froze. Orange flames shot up from the son of Vesta's palms and beams of golden light as bright as the sun itself radiated from Percy until it completely engulfed him, forcing Zoë to squeeze her eyes shut.

When Zoë opened her eyes again, she had to hold back a gasp. Percy's entire body was caught on orange flames, tearing through the sea of Amazons at lightning speed. An orange tornado smashed right through the Amazon lines like paper, dozens of warriors fell down screaming piercingly as Kronos' Scythe mercilessly tore open their skin. The Scythe, now soaked red with dripping Amazon blood, gleamed again, and for a second, Zoë thought she was staring into Kronos' golden eyes.

"Let's go!" Hylla cried, her words snapping Zoë out of her stunned trance. The huntress and the Amazons followed Percy through the wide gap in the Amazon lines he had single-handedly created. The Amazon formation in their north had been completely torn apart and Zoë realized with a jolt that there was no one left between them and freedom. Otrera too, must have realized this, because Zoë could hear the Amazon Queen barking loud orders at her lieutenants.

"In the name of Terra! How hard can it possibly be to kill twenty people with a fucking army!"

The rain of arrows resumed, except this one, they weren't aimed at Percy. One Amazon running directly in front of her collapsed without any warning as an arrow lodged itself into the back of her spine. Zoë jumped over her fallen form, leaving her behind and fighting back the urge to go back and help her as she lied in a pool of her own blood gasping in pain.

She saw Percy up ahead. The son of Vesta was deflecting arrows and fighting off pursuers as he held the exit open for the column of Amazons. One warrior tried to stay and help Percy, but he quickly waved her off while dodging another arrow.

"Go," He said, his voice filled with determination, "I got this."

The Amazon looked at him dubiously, but nodded anyway.

Percy didn't look well. Not at all. All color was drained from his face and large beads of sweat were on his forehead. Zoë noticed that Kronos' Scythe had returned to its ring form on Percy's finger, and the son of Vesta was now wielding _Anaklusmos,_ though his grip on the Celestial Bronze blade was shaky at best, and it appeared as though he was leaning on the sword for support.

"Are you alright?" Zoë inquired with concern as soon as she caught up with him, dropping her head artfully to dodge an arrow in the process.

"I'm fine," Said Percy dismissively, and she could tell right the way that it was a lie.

"Come on," Kinzie said as she arrived with Hylla, oblivious to the fact that the warrior on her tail suddenly dropped, "We have to-"

"Watch out!" Kinzie was abruptly cut off by Percy as a dozen arrows entered his sight, approaching them rapidly. They all scrambled for cover, all but one.

Kinzie's eyes were wide in disbelief as they landed on the arrow that was stuck in her throat. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She fell.

"NO!" Hylla cried heart-piercingly as she threw herself at the body of her friend. Kinzie's eyes were still wide open, filled with disbelief, but she was already dead.

"She's gone," Zoë said sorrowfully as she tugged Hylla's arm, trying to pull her away, but she wouldn't budge.

"We need to go. Now," Zoê tried to pull Hylla up by her arm again. This time, she didn't resist her. In fact, she didn't react at all. She just allowed herself to be pulled up numbly.

"Percy?" Zoë called out, but the son of Vesta didn't respond. With a sinking feeling in her heart, she turned to where she last saw him, only to find the son of Vesta lying on the floor, his eyes closed.

"Is he shot?" One of Hylla's warriors, whose name Zoë vaguely remembered as Isabelle, asked.

"No," Zoë shook her head, "The powers must have exhausted him."

"Let me go," A voice came from next to Zoë. Only then did she realize that she was still holding Hylla's arm. The huntress did as she was told promptly.

"Get him out of here," Hylla said. She had turned to face Otrera's army that was almost upon them, her eyes were hard and her voice firm, "I'll buy you some time."

Zoë's eyes widened when she realized what Hylla was hinting, "But-"

"There's no time to waste!" Hylla snapped, turning to look at Zoë, her eyes making it clear that she wasn't asking for permission, "Get to Alaska, find Thanatos and free that son of a bitch so we stand a chance of winning this war, do you hear me."

Zoë could only manage a nod.

"Good," Hylla said, before turning to Isabelle, "Protect Percy Jackson and Zoë Nightshade with your life. Make sure their mission succeeds, whatever it takes."

Isabelle nodded at her queen solemnly.

Without another word, Hylla picked up her spear and charged at Otrera's army. Zoë swung Percy's arm over her shoulder and lifted him up.

Then, they ran.

* * *

 _"Still no sign of him?" Chiron asked the figure in front of him._

 _"I'm afraid not," Clarisse La Rue shook her head tiredly as she sat down in the big house and removed her chest plate. The heavy Celestial Bronze metal landed on the ground with a loud thud, "Has Grover's team checked in yet?"_

 _Chiron closed his eyes and shook his head._

 _"I knew Rhode Island was a bust," Said Clarisse as she dropped her spear onto the table and rubbed her eyes, "I knew if Jackson was really gone, he wouldn't stick around, not after how the Gods treated him like trash. We've swept through the entire Eastern Seaboard and the Midwest, but still came up empty-handed. I just wish we knew where he is. We need him now more than ever."_

 _"I know child," Chiron put a hand on Clarisse's shoulder reassuringly, "I know."_

 _"I just don't get it, why can't we search the West Coast?" Clarisse questioned, "You said it yourself, the ancient lands are forbidden. He has got to be somewhere on the West Coast."_

 _"I'm sorry child," Chiron sounded sorry, "But I took an oath a long time ago to never reveal it. Let's just say that the world is in a very delicate state, and we can't afford to upset that balance."_

 _"Fuck the Gods!" Clarisse suddenly snapped, flipping the table and sending various items flying across the Big House, "I'm sick of being their pawn! Look at us, my family is torn, our home is in ruins and we are on the verge of annihilation! None of this would have happened if not for the Gods and their stupid paranoia."_

 _Chiron could only agree with Clarisse, but instead of feeling outraged, he felt terrified, utterly terrified._

 _Please, he thought to himself as his eyes landed on the map, his eyes fixed on the words San Francisco, please let me be wrong about this._

 _Outside, the alarm rang sharply in warning. Demigods scrambled for their armor and hurried to their battle stations - everyone at Camp Half-Blood carried their weapon with them at all time now. Sighing, Chiron gave a hard look at his bow, before picking up his trustworthy weapon and heading outside the Big House._

* * *

 **Hey guys! I'm SO terribly sorry for disappearing for eight months without a warning (only Percy gets to do that). I don't want to find any excuses, but life has been pretty rough and this chapter has been sitting on my computer forever until I finally found the time to sit down and finish it. Anyways here it is! If you like it, hate it or feel indifferent, let me know by either taking five seconds and leave a review or taking five seconds and send me a PM. As a rule of thumb, the more I feel this story is engaging you guys, the more I feel motivated to rise above procrastination and write a new chapter. Also, I just realized that Zoë is speaking perfect modern English. About that, let's just say that I haven't gotten then faintest clue about Shakespearean English so let's just say this is an AU where Zoë speaks the English language as we know it. I also want to make it crystal clear that under absolutely no circumstances am I ever abandoning this story and I can not thank everyone who's stuck around and continued to support me, you are my inspiration. Until next time!**


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